The Godfather
by Kat56
Summary: Sirius manages to pull himself together after James' and Lily's death and takes Harry. This isn't your typical Sirius raises Harry story! Please review I love any and all feedback! Chapter 9 extended!
1. Chapter 1

The Godfather

_A/n as always I am unfortunately not the wonder that is J.K. Rowling no matter how much I wish I had her considerable literary talent. I am just using her world as a medium to explore and improve my own abilities. _

Prologue

St. Mungo's wasn't you average hospital. Its patients were of a very different nature then the average hospital and it's staff were of a different sort as well. St. Mungo's was a hospital for Britain's various magical citizens. Magical or Muggle hospitals tend to have the same infuriatingly white walls and various wards to divide its patients. The Maternity Ward in particular, is very similar to its muggle counterpart. Various family members and friends wait anxiously in the waiting room to hear of the new little one's long awaited arrival.

On this particular day there were three men waiting nervously to hear news of their best friends new baby. One man was pale with light brown hair and amber eyes looked inquisitively at his friend.

"You alright there Padfoot you'd think you were the one with the baby on the way."

"Ah Moony you know me just having sympathy pains for old Prongs in there having to deal with Evans in labour. She's a harpy at the best of times." replied his friend. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and black hair that fell just short of his shoulders. Remus or Moony could see his friends anxiousness in his stormy grey eyes.

"I'm telling Lily you said that Sirius." Remus chuckled.

"He doesn't care, he gets a kick out of making Lily angry" supplied the other man a short, chubby bloke with blond hair and watery blue eyes.

Just then the doors of the waiting room swung open revealing a hyperventilating man. Glasses askew, black hair wild "ITSS a BUOHY!" he squealed.

"Breathe mate!" said Sirius.

James took a deep breath and said "Its A BOY!"

At this Sirius a man who very rarely showed affection got up and hugged his best mate.

"Congratulations Mucker!"

James let his other two friends congratulate him and then said "Would you guys like to come see him." His three friends nodded enthusiastically.

As they walked in the room that first thing that struck Sirius was how beautiful Lily looked. She had just had a baby and she still managed to look stunning. Her red curls were in a mess and she looked tired but there was not mistaking that smile. It was a smile of pure and utter happiness and he couldn't help but think he had never seen her look more beautiful.

"Come on then Padfoot" James gestured to him as Peter and Remus stood around the bed. He could feel the breath catch in his throat as he slowly walked over to see the little bundle Lily was holding in her arms. Sirius had never seen anything so tiny. The baby was pale just like both of his parents but he had a shock of black messy hair on his head.

"Would you like to hold him Sirius," Lily asked. He nodded not sure if he could get the words out. James showed him how to hold his arms and placed the small baby in his arms. And just as he was placed down the baby's eyes popped open. For a second Sirius braced himself for the screaming but the baby just gazed up at him with big blue eyes. Sirius knew of course that they weren't likely to remain that way. He tried to picture the baby with James' hazel but something about the shape and the shade suggested to Sirius that the child was more likely to inherit his mother's startling green.

"What's his name?" asked Remus as he came closer to get a better look. Lily and James exchanged a look and nodded.

"Harry James Potter" beamed James.

"It suits him" Peter said quietly.

"We think so" Lily grinned.

"Well Padfoot don't hog the baby let me and Wormtail have a go." Sirius gently passed the baby over to Remus.

Soon Remus and Peter had to leave and it was just Sirius left.

"Sirius we have something important to ask you." Lily smiled.

"Anything"

" Lily and I want you to be Harry's godfather."

He thinks he heard his jaw hit the floor.

" I'm honored guys really but wouldn't Remus be a better fit?"

"Sirius, James and I have thought long and hard about this. And we decided that as much as we love Remus and Peter that you are the one we want."

" Your my brother Padfoot, and I know you would do anything for me. And I know that you would do anything for Harry. We need someone who will love Harry as his own and as much as you like to play the tough guy Pads no one has a bigger heart then you." smiled James.

Sirius blinked the tears out of his eyes and looked at Lily "You sure you want me corrupting your kid?"

" There is no one I would rather have corrupting my kid, we know you will love Harry. I can see it in your eyes. You are really the best man for the job."

" I don't know what to say guys."

"How bout yes?"

"Prongs you know the answer is yes."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

A/n: Thank you to all the amazing and not to mention surprising support I'm getting for this story. I want to give an especially big thank you to my reviewers. And thanks to the people just checking it out. Please review, I don't even care if you hate it. Any feedback is good feedback and if I want to improve as a writer and a story-teller.

It was an abnormally cold October 31st and young Sirius Black tried as he might could just not get warm. He ran a hand through his dark hair then over his face feeling the slight beard he had been growing over the past couple months. His best friend James Potter had been teasing him mercilessly saying he was taking his new habit of riding a motorcycle to extreme levels. James' wife, Lily on the other hand assured him that he was just jealous because James could never grow facial hair. He smiled at the thought of his best friend and his small family. He hadn't seen them in weeks not since they had gone into hiding.

James and him had been best friends since they were eleven years old and there was nothing Sirius wouldn't do for him. Well, except be his secret keeper. It tore him up inside that he had to trust James and Lily's safety to someone else. But, as much as he loved James and his family he could not trust himself with this. He had made so many mistakes in his life and he wouldn't allow himself to screw this one up. So, when James approached him about the subject he declined saying that everyone would know it was him. They needed a diversion, an extra layer of protection. Voldemort would be sure to come after him and the real secret keeper could slip silently away it was the perfect plan.

The question of who it should be was long and gruelling. It was a toss up between their friends Remus and Peter. He decided on Peter because he could feel Remus slipping away from them. He would disappear for weeks on end and with the rumours of a spy in the order he couldn't take any chances. He would gladly intrust his life to Remus but he couldn't take that chance with James and Lily's son Harry. He was named godfather and he took that duty very seriously. Peter was the best option. He might not be the smartest or most powerful wizard around, but Peter was dependable. He was always there for all of them, a person who despite saying the wrong things sometimes had the kind of insight into people that surprised you. He saw things other people didn't. But, the main reason Sirius chose Peter was Pete loved his friends. In a fight Peter was the one trying to diffuse the situation get everyone to settle down. Peter recognized the need for friends and would fight profusely to keep his friendships.

But, no matter how he tried to logic his way through why everything was okay Sirius could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. He got up from his chair and began pacing. "I'll just go check on Pete then maybe I can get some sleep" he thought to himself.

He apparated to just outside the small town where Pete's hideout was. He walked to the small flat and knocked on the door. No one answered, Sirius felt his breath hitch. He took out his wand and unlocked the door. Peter was nowhere to be found but everything in the house was in order. This was wrong all wrong. He knew he wouldn't be able to find the house but he could go to Godric's Hollow where the Potters were hidden and make sure everything was okay.

He apparated to Godric's Hollow and collapsed to his knees when he saw it the dark mark hanging in the sky. He ran as fast as he could faster then he ever thought possible to the house the dark mark was over. But, there was nothing left the house was in ruins. He started digging through the rubble they couldn't be dead this wasn't possible. The tears were rolling down his face when he found him James his best friend. His glasses askew and skin just glowing green. He let out a high pitched howl. "No no no James wake up come on you have to wake up this isn't funny anymore James WAKE-UP!" And then he heard it a baby cry.

"Harry" he whispered quietly.

He began searching through the rubble frantically trying to find the source of the cry. Until he found her. Lily beautiful Lily lying dead eyes wide-open and skin the same green-tinge James' had. He saw the crib over-turned and flipped it over and on the floor was his godson.

"Oh Harry I am so so sorry!" he cried scooping up the child and clutching him to his chest.

"Padfoo"

"Yes Harry I'm here now your safe Padfoot's here."

He could feel the rage swell up inside him. How could he have been so stupid. Peter was the traitor. And because Sirius couldn't see it, James and Lily were dead and Harry was left an orphan.

"Its okay Harry I will get the rat who did this to you," said Sirius in a low growl.

"No Padfoo no" cried Harry wrapping his arms around Sirius' neck. His heart broke he had let Harry down already no matter how much he hated Peter he had to do right by him.

"Sirius is that you!" yelled Hagrid. The half-giant had tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry Sirius." The half-giant whispered putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I need ta take little Harry to Professor Dumbledore. He sent me on orders to get Harry."

" I'm his Godfather Hagrid I'll look after him."

"Dumbledore thinks it's best if Harry goes to live with Lily's sister."

"I'm sorry Hagrid but there is no way in Hell that I'm letting Harry go live with that wench."

And with the Sirius apparated out of Godric's Hollow Harry clutched tightly in his arms leaving a very flustered looking Hagrid in their wake.

A/n: that one didn't turn out the way I wanted but I had to get this scene out of the way. What do you guys think!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

A/n: Thanks to those sticking with me! Please review any and all types of feedback are welcome!

Sirius didn't know why he showed up here of all places. He hadn't been to this small town in the South of France since he was thirteen years old. The Blacks had owned a large estate here and he used to come there during the summers when he was a child. The Black estate was situated near the St. March estate and he and the youngest St. March daughter used to play together. The two families had held strong alliances for hundreds of years. He hadn't talked to Camille since the year he had ran away.

He took a deep breath and approached the doors of the St. March mansion. He pulled Harry closer to him and knocked on the door. A young 20 something witch answered the door. She was much older then he remembered, but it was obviously Camille. She still had the same curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes he remembered.

"Sirius what are you doing here" she said with a deep french accent.

"Camille I need sanctuary"

Her blue eyes narrowed "Why what have you done?"

"You know the rules Camille you are bound by magic to offer me sanctuary our families made an alliance three hundred years ago."

" Come in then" she said

He followed her into the house and then into a large living room.

"Are you going to tell me why after 8 years you come to my house and demand sanctuary. A blood oath that hasn't been called into affect since the 1800s."

He took a deep breath and told her the story of his fall. How his stupidity had gotten his best friend killed. How they had tried to take Harry from him. How the aurors were probably looking for him.

"I believe you" she said as she put her small hand on his.

"You do but why."

She gave him a mischievous smirk "This room has a veritius charm on it."

"This is a veritius room, I didn't think they still existed."

"Most of the old families had one, yours did until Phinneus Nigellus destroyed it."

"Sounds like something that old bugger would do" laughed Sirius.

"So is this James' son?" she asked gazing intently at Harry.

" Yeah Camille this is Harry Potter" he said pulling the child out from under his cloak.

"Sirius he needs to be looked at by a healer that scar is emitting dark magic, I have a English healer bound to the family we can get her to come look at him."

"But what if she tells people your house maybe able to protect people from finding us but if they know where we are it won't be much good."

"My family sponsored her to study the healing applications of natural magic she's bound to us she will tell no one Sirius I assure you."

"Alright, Camille I trust you"

"I'll go fire call her now."

She got up and walked out of the room yellow dress swinging.

She came back into the room with a tiny witch with shoulder length brown hair and pretty blue eyes.

"Sirius this is Alexandra"

"Lo" he said picking Harry up and walking over to the place where the healer was setting up a make-shift hospital bed.

He placed Harry on the bed telling him it will be okay.

"I'm going to do some diagnostic tests to figure out what the affect the attack had on him" she said pulling her brown hair into a bun at the top of her head. She began humming in a language Sirius had never heard before and bright beams of colourful light began swirling around Harry.

The child began giggling as the lights began to swirl around him faster and faster and then vanished. A disembodied voice then began chanting back and the Healer started jotting notes down. When the voice stopped she turned to look at Sirius.

"This boy has suffered too much magical exhaustion but with a few days of proper rest that should be fine what worries me is the child's scar is a horcrux."

"No that can't be, does that mean Harry has to die before Voldemort can."

" Within the confines of traditional European magic yes."

"What do you mean in confines?"

"I am a practitioner of natural magic Mr. Black. I've been studying the ways of ancient magical cultures. And they used nature to their advantage instead of trying to bend it. The ancient civilizations never used wands the followed nature. The Celts, the Vikings, Ancient Asian civilizations, Middle Eastern, even Native American cultures. If you would allow me I would like to try to destroy it using natural magic."

"You want me to allow you to perform some experimental magic on my godson? What if he gets hurt?" asked Sirius aggressively.

" Natural magic works within the laws of Nature it doesn't hurt the innocent. A horcrux goes against nature it is the only way to destroy it without hurting the child. If it doesn't work Harry won't be harmed."

"That's a lie the only time I've seen Natural Magic used is when a tornado was summoned to destroy a house by a wizard hopped up on his own power. Six innocent bystander were killed."

"That is a case of a wizard attempting to control nature if you work with it no harm will be done to the innocent. I give you my word Harry will not be harmed." she said grasping his hand looking deeply into his eyes. He doesn't no why but he trusts her.

"Fine, if it is the only way then we have to try but if he is hurt I will act like the murdered England is convinced I am" he growls.

" I won't let you down."

She motioned for Harry to lie down and placed her hands over his head and began chanting again all the torches in the room flare and bright lights began encircling her and Harry. It was only minutes but to Sirius it felt like hours. She backs away from Harry and says its finished before collapsing onto the ground out cold. Camille motioned for him to check on Harry as she knelt down to help Alexandra. He approached the bed and gazed down at the small child. The lighting shaped scar faded considerably and it no longer gave off any inkling of dark magic. The child in question was sleeping soundly. He didn't even realize he had been holding his breath.

He turned around to see Alexandra slowly getting up recovering slowly from the amount of magic she just displayed.

"Thank-you" he said.

"No problem" she smiled.

"You are a remarkably talented witch, it takes considerable power to be able to use Natural Magic."

She smiled "not really everyone is capable of it, you just have to train. But, I should probably go they'll be missing me at the clinic and you look like you could use some rest." And with that Alexandra was gone.

"Let him sleep Sirius we need to talk."

" You have sanctuary here but it will only last if you both stay confined to this household. That isn't healthy for you or the child. I am going to go talk to a few of my contacts see if we can't find a more suitable cover for you and Harry. Feel free to nap in one of the guest rooms Harry won't be awake for another couple of hours."

"Thank you Camille for everything."

A/N: What do you guys think? Are the OC's a little much? They may play a bigger role later on in the story but they are essentially for the time being just alliances of Sirius'. This isn't a romance it is a bonding fic.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

A/n: I'll keep this one short please review!

Sirius awoke mid-afternoon to the sound of the door to the guest room opening quietly. Camille slipped into the room quietly.

"Sirius are you awake?"

"Yeah" he muttered tiredly.

"I think I found our best bet" she said handing him a piece of ID. It was a picture of a young man with similar features to him only he had a lighter brown coloured hair and piercing blue eyes. The man's hair was also cut shorter then he had worn it in years. The cheekbones were slightly different as well. The name read Octavian Black. He looked back at Camille with questioning eyes.

"He's a bastard of your Uncle's Cygnus. He met a peasant witch in a nearby town and had an affair with her. Tavian there is the product of the affair."

"It is a great idea we wouldn't even half to put much of a glamour on me, but won't this Tavian fellow be pissed i'm stealing his identity?"

"He's dead"

"Wouldn't the French government know that then?"

"No when the war first started up Tavian came to my father asking for help. He wanted to sever all ties with the Black family due to their public support of Voldemort. My father agreed to help, the last thing he needed was to be labelled a Death Eater sympathizer. Tavian took on the name of his adopted father and my Dad forged birth records everything. Then they made it look like Tavian immigrated to Italy" she explained.

"He died about a year back botched potions experiment"

"What about Harry though."

"I have some forged birth records for him here. Harry will now be know as Julius Black."

"I don't know how to thank you Camille."

"Just don't wait another eight years to get in touch okay"

He nodded, she had been his saving grace in childhood and now even after eight years she had proven that she was somebody you wanted in your coroner.

"Now, I just have to find a place for us to live."

"I might have an option for you." said Alexandra as she came strolling into the room.

"I just stopped by to check on Harry." she said answering his questioning gazing.

"What do you have in mind?"

"There is a small Natural Magic compound in Northern Ireland. My class took a field trip there when I was in Healer School. It was the place that fuelled my interest. You will have to live modestly most members just live in trailers. But, its remote and no one will ask questions. Add on to that the magic in the forest will solidify any glamour put on you and Harry making it so the only one who can get rid of it is you. It will even fool identifying charms, if you wanted to enrol the child in Hogwarts later."

"It sounds perfect."

"Good I will contact the chief and let him know we will be coming tomorrow. Until the glamour has been solidified it is best you don't apparate. Camille if you would set the glamours, and take them shopping for anything they might need." Camille nodded.

The next day Alexandra showed up just after 6 a.m. Sirius got Harry dressed making sure all the glamours were in affect. Harry's shock of black hair was now brown and sleeker, and his eyes were a bright blue. There was no longer a scar on his head and the child now had slightly defined cheekbones. He looked in the mirror and now the face of Octavian Black stared back at him. In the flesh he was shocked to see how much his bastard cousin really did look like him. There was hardly a glamour at all his hair was lighter his eyes more blue, and his cheekbones though still refined were not as sharp.

He gave a loud yawn. Him and Camille had spent all night trying to convince the child to call Sirius dad. They had to settle on Pa as it was only a slight variation of what the boy already referred to Sirius as.

"Are you two ready" Alexandra asked.

"Yeah I think so?"

"Ready to go Julius?" he asked Harry. That had been a difficult one too. Getting the child to respond to a different name.

"Go Pa go" said Harry.

"I think we are ready then" said Sirius running a hand through his significantly shorter hair.

"Adieu Camille. Merci pour tout." said Sirius practicing his french accent.

"Faire attention à Sirius" she replied leaning into give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Au revoir mon petit" she said mussing up Harry's hair.

"Hold on tight." Alexandra stated as the apparated out of the house.

A/n: I apologize if the French is all wrong I'm an English speaking Canadian with a French background but I just know words. French grammar does my head in, it amazes me how French people wether Canadian French or France French ease so well into English grammar. So if you are French my sincerest apologies I love the language it is beautiful and I wish I had learned it when I had the chance. As for the stories, I am moving pretty fast. I want to get as much done as I can and then go back and fix it up a bit. I hope you are enjoying it, please review you are my only hope at getting better. And thanks to all of you who are reading you are amazing and I love you!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

A/n: To any of you who might be convinced that I am secretly J.K. Rowling in disguise, you couldn't be further from the truth and a little delusional as well. Thank you all for the support this story has been given, I hope you continue to enjoy it and please review!

With a loud pop the trio had landed just outside of a forrest in Northern Ireland. There was a distinct chill in the air. Sirius pulled Harry closer to him, wrapping him up in his cloak. Alexandra motioned for them to follow her as she started following a path that led deep into the woods. As soon as he entered the woods he felt a rush of strong magic. Hogwarts was shrouded in magic but even it was no match for the rush that just being in the woods gave you. As they walked further into the woods Sirius could hear faint chanting. At this Harry perked up a bit.

"What Pa what?"

"I'm not sure Julius."

"Its the morning chant, it is a little intimidating at first, but you get used to it. Eventually it will become almost calming."

"If you say so."

As they got deeper into the woods the path became more treacherous. Random rocks and branches poking out of the ground threatening to trip unwary travellers.

"Are we getting close yet? It feels like we've been walking for hours."

"Just a bit further the compound is in the heart of the woods."

Finally they reached the compound, just as Alexandra had stated, it was a modest village. Only a few small huts, all the rest were trailers. In the centre of the village was the ruins of an ancient celtic monument. People hustled by wearing cloaks of cerulean blue. The whole place was slightly unsetteling.

"Wait here I'm going to go get the chief, he will show you around."

"Down Pa down!" Harry said squirming.

Sirius put him down and sat on a bench as he and Harry watched what must have been the children of the compound gather around an elderly woman with a crescent blue moon headband wrapped around her forehead. She was telling them some story that had gotten the children all riled up and excited.

"Tavian I would like to introduce you to Chief Moiser."

He was a large man, as tall as Sirius with broad shoulders and a long white beard. If it wasn't for the broad grin on the man's face he would have been intimidating.

"Pleasure to meet you Tavian" the man said in a deep soothing voice.

"The pleasure is all mine Chief Mosier." Sirius said in a flawless french accent.

"We aren't all that formal around here my boy, please call me Patrick. And who is this little fellow," he said gazing at Harry who was clutching Sirius' hand.

"Patrick this is my son Julius."

"Lo Julius"

"Hi" said Harry with a small wave.

"Well, I best be getting back, Goodbye Tavian, Julius!"

"Thank you for everything Alexandra."

"Don't mention it."

"Well we best get our little tour started then shall we boys."

He pointed at the ruins and said "This is the court-yard this is where we all meet for mourning chants, meetings, just about any get together."

"The large hut over there is the shower hut, one side is the women's the other the men's. The hut across the way is the school, it has a daycare for the children to go to well the adults work. It will be a great way for Julius to make some friends. The hut on it's left is the cookery, it is open all day. And on the cookery's right is my office. If you ever need anything I am sure to be there" he said smiling.

" We are completely self-sufficient here and everyone is expected to pull their own weight with the exception of the young and elderly of course. We can give you two days to get you and your son settled and then will get you signed up for chores. We eat the three main meals together at 7:00, 12:00 and 5:00. But as I said if you get hungry in-between the cookery is always open. During the week we get up at 6 for morning chants, at 8 you will do workshops until lunch and from lunch till four you will do chores. It is a busy schedule but it keeps the mind clear. The week-ends you have to yourself. Now let's show you where you two will be living."

They walked out of the centre of the village and towards a cluster of trailers. Patrick took them to the one closest to the woods. He opened up the door it was modest; two beds, a kitchen sink, a small bathroom and a kitchen table and counter. It was small but Sirius was just happy to have found a place where he and Harry could live without fear.

"Looks perfect Monsieur, Julius and I will be very happy here."

Patrick beamed "Thats the spirit my boy, I think the two of you will fit in perfectly here. Let's introduce you to your neighbours they have boy Julius' age. Brawin, Kathleen come out and meet your new neighbours." A man and woman in their early thirties stepped out of the trailer with a child Harry's age. The man was a little shorter then Sirius with long wavy brown hair that fell well past his shoulders, the woman had long blonde hair tied in a plait down her back.

"These are your new neighbours Tavian and little Julius."

The woman smiled " Nice ta meet yah both" she said in a lyrical irish accent.

"This is our boy Aedan."

"Nice to meet yah Tavian" the man Brawin said with a smile.

"We were just taking Aedan to the daycare if you want to leave Julius for a visit. The teacher is excellent she got a degree in EMCD (Early Magical Childhood Development)."

"It is probably a good idea Tavian let the child adjust to being away from his dad before you have to start working." said Patrick.

"Alright let's go then" he said scooping up Harry.

They walked to the daycare and Kathleen introduced them to the teacher a plump but cheerful red-headed witch that reminded Sirius of Molly Weasely.

"So what bring a young man like you to the compound Tavian?" asked Kathleen.

" After Julius' mother died it got too depressing to be around the familiar thought it would be nice to give him and me a fresh start. A friend of a friend talked about the compound and I thought it would be interesting to study Natural Magic."

"It really is a great place, we've been here for two months."

" You should sign-up for the grounds crew for your chores we could use someone built like you" said Brawin.

"Will do, sounds like fun."

Brawin laughed "Ah look how optimistic he is Kath he'll lose that in a week or so."

"Don't make him nervous, the first two weeks are always the hardest but you'll love it." Kathleen said swatting her husband.

"But we better get to our workshops, come sit with at lunch will yah?"

"Yeah see you then"

"If you need anything don't hesitate to let us know."

"Thank-you both."

Sirius headed back to his small trailer only to find some work clothes for him, and the same blue cloak everyone else in the compound were wearing. He unpacked his and Harry's things and then collapsed on the bed. It had been a hectic couple days, he still couldn't shake the feeling that the aurors were going to show up and he'd end up in Azkaban. But he had to try, and who knows they were in the middle of nowhere. Not to mention his cover was almost full proof. He closed his eyes and slipped into a deep sleep.

Over in Scotland Albus Dumbledore was pacing in his study. He was wracking his brain for any idea of where Sirius might have taken Harry. Was the child even alive? Had Sirius murdered the child the first chance he got or did he have an idea on how to bring his master back? No, matter the case they had to find Sirius and quick. He would write to young Remus Lupin the man had lost everything the night Sirius' had sold James and Lily to Voldemort.

Sirius woke to the playing of fiddles. He checked his watch and figured it must be the call to lunch he pulled on his blue cloak and headed for the cookery. He opened the door and walked in. The hut obviously had an expansion charm on it because it was significantly larger from the inside. He caught Kathleen out of the coroner of her eye she waved him over to a table and he sat next to Brawin.

"Tavian this is Aatos" he said gesturing to a tall man with blonde hair that was shaved at the sides and braided down his back.

"Nice to meet you" Aatos said in a thick Finnish accent.

"You too … oof" Sirius said looking down to see Harry with is arms around him.

"Up Pa up"

Sirius scooped Harry up and placed him down next to him. As Aedan clambered up between his parents as a blonde boy roughly the same age slid next to Aatos. Sirius guessed this was his boy. As the child through Harry a large grin.

"Looks like our boys are friends Tavian, this is Bjorn."

"I think we are going to have our hands full with these three" smiled Sirius and all the adults laughed. Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad here after all Sirius thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Harry and Sirius took to life on the compound very quickly. Sirius thought he would miss the hustle and bustle of Wizarding London, but the quite life on the compound suited him just fine. He and Harry would wake-up at 6:00 and head over to the cookery to have breakfast, then go to the shower house to get ready. Aatos, Brawin and he would walk the boys to the daycare before going to their respective workshops.

Turns out despite his reservation Sirius was quite adept at Natural Magic and today he was going to take his element test to find out what his element was. Natural Magic is based around the four elements, and each witch or wizard has an elemental representation. Now this didn't mean that they couldn't summon the other elements just that they were stronger in that area of magic. Sirius wasn't sure what element he was. Fire felt right, he felt powerful while using fire and its description matched his personality, but there as something calming and peaceful about the water element, and he seemed proficient in air magic as well. Although, he was positive he didn't fit earth. It was the least temperamental of the elements. Sturdy, reliable and boring.

Sirius also found he really enjoyed his chores as well. He had taken Brawin's advice and gone for the grounds crew. He enjoyed the fresh air and the physical labour helped him let out some of his pent up frustration. He really enjoyed working with Brawin and Aatos. Brawin was calm and serene, nothing fazed him just being in his presence relaxed Sirius. Aatos on the other hand had the same sense of humour as Sirius the guy was a riot. Both men knew Sirius had a hidden past that he didn't like to talk about, but they never asked questions. But, when Sirius found himself drifting back into the memories of James and Lily they could sense it. They would find a way to bring him out of it even if it was just a squeeze of the shoulder or a distraction.

Sirius found himself thanking whatever higher power had sent him Alexandra because he didn't know if he would have made it through the last few weeks without these men. Kathleen was also indispensable she gave Harry a motherly figure and a support system for Sirius when things got rough. He wasn't over the death of his best friends by any means and he doubted he ever would but the little make-shift family he had going here gave him a reason and the support to go on.

The compound had done wonders for Harry as well. Having to go into hiding had done little for the child. Children even babies need the presence of other children in their lives. With his two new little friends Harry's vocabulary was growing astronomically and he was gaining very important social skills. The compound surrounded Harry with enough people to attend to his every need. And Sirius knew that if there was ever any trouble there would be an adult more then willing to help. All in all the compound had really been the best thing for the two of them.

Sirius heard the bell ring and new it was time to go take his test. He wrapped him and Harry in their winter cloaks and made their way to the cookery. All meetings had been moved there since the snow had arrived. The two set out to the cookery as Harry babbled away about what they had done at daycare that day. He lurched open the door and was comforted by the warm air that smacked him in the face. He quickly spotted his friends and went over to sit at their table.

"Getting nervous are we Tav?" laughed Aatos.

"Yah leave him alone Aatos he's probably nervous enough without yah point in it out" said Kathleen putting her hand on his shoulder and lightly squeezing it.

"Ah Kath stop treating I'm like a child, he needs to man-up" Brawin said punching him in the shoulder.

"Shows how little you lot know me, I am the picture of confidence."

"Thats the spirit boy'o."

He saw Patrick slowly get up and walk to the front of the room occupied by a elderly woman. The room which had been quite noisy, became silent.

"As you know today we will be testing our newest members to discover their elements. This is an important day, a rebirth if you will. We have five members to go through so I will hand the stage over to Vivianne." He said gesturing for the elderly woman to come foreword.

Sirius didn't know why he felt so nervous he knew it wasn't really a test, you couldn't fail it. While he was lost in his own thought process the elderly witch had called up a young black wizard with a thick South Africa accent. He watched as the witch drew a circle on the floor, and then she placed a candle, a bowl of water, a pot of dirt, and the a bowl with a lid for air around the circle. She gestured for the wizard to enter the circle.

He sat cross-legged in the centre of the circle with his arms stretched out and began chanting. First quietly and as he got louder the room seemed to vibrate. Until suddenly the pot with the dirt cracked letting it spill onto the floor. The crowd erupted into applause and the wizard smiled. The witch silenced the crowd and said simply "EARTH!"

"Octavian Black" he looked back at his friends who gave him an encouraging smile.

He waited for a moment as the witch reassembled the elements. She gestured for him to enter the circle. Sirius sat in the centre of the circle just as the other wizard had done and began chanting. He could feel the magic vibrating off the walls. Then it happened the flame of the candle became huge and shot to the ceiling. "FIRE!" the witch yelled. And the crowd burst into applause again. He made his way back to the table he couldn't help but smile.

"Good on yah Tav, knew you would be a fire element." smiled Kathleen.

"Fire pa Fire!" squealed Harry happily.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

As Sirius dove deeper into Natural Magic he discovered that even wand based magic was rooted in the elements. And once you knew your element it effected every ounce of your magic. He was also surprised they taught the basics of Natural Magic in the daycare. Unlike in the rest of Wizarding World the Compound encouraged young children to practice and cultivate their magic even at a young age. Harry could barely talk and yet he was levitating stuff left and right. Sirius would have been slightly unhinged at the child's proficiency in magic if Aedan and Bjorn weren't displaying the same aptitude.

It was a cold weekend in December and Sirius and Harry bundled up and gone to play in the falling snow. It was three weeks till Christmas and Sirius had no idea what he was going to do. But, as usual Kathleen came to his rescue. She walked over with Aedan in hand with a big grin on her face and cheeks slightly flushed from the cold.

"A Tave there you are me and Brawin are booking a hotel in London for the Christmas Hols we were wondering if you and Julius would like to join us. Aatos and Bjorn are coming as well."

"Well Juls what do you think Christmas with Bjorn and Aedan?"

"Yah Pa Yeah!"

"I guess its settled then."

The two weeks seemed to fly by and Sirius was busy packing Harry and him up. He was slightly nervous at the thought of heading back to the heart of the British Wizarding World. He knew no one would be able to recognize him nor would they be able to undo his glamour but it was still scary. He shook it off and closed the suitcase.

"Ready to go are we Mucker?"

"Yeah Pa! Let's Go!"

He mussed up Harry's hair and they headed out the door. He saw the rest of their mismatched gang waiting outside snuggled in their winter cloaks.

"Hurry up their Tav! I want to get back to civilization!" laughed Aatos.

"Everyone ready! Hold on tight children!" smiled Kathleen.

The seven of them apparated right into the Leaky Cauldron. Sirius was hit with the distinct smell of Tom's pea soup. He shuddered at the memory. Him and James used to make bets saying the loser would have to eat an entire bowl full.

"Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron" smiled Tom giving them a toothless grin.

"Might as well have a bit of a drink before we head off." said Brawin

"I'll have a butterbeer someone has to watch the kids" laughed Kathleen

"I'll have what is the word for it in English Firewisky s'il vows plait?" said Sirius in his flawless French accent.

"Make that three." said Aatos before shooting Sirius a look.

"The kids will have pumpkin juice." said Brawin.

After Tom left the three adults turned to look at Sirius giving him questioning looks.

"Whats a matter Tav in the month I've known you, you've never searched for the word in English. Yours is usually flawless." said Kathleen.

"I don't like being put on the spot with it. At the compound there are many accents if I screw up people won't laugh." said Sirius trying to sound embarrassed.

"Ah you don't have to be embarrassed Tav your English is great," said Brawin.

After he had taken the first sip of his firewhisky he loosened up a bit. He had been nervous but after a month of faking the accent it came to him with ease. Harry on the other hand had started speaking with an accent that had a bit of British, Irish, French and Finnish. It was actually pretty hilarious to listen to the kid the little sponge he was. The three kids gibber gabbered as the adults laughed and exchanged jokes. They finished their drinks and headed out into Diagon Alley to do some Christmas shopping.

Sirius and Harry headed straight to the bookshop to pick out books for the other kids. They got a book of Irish fairytales for Aedan and a copy of the Tales of Beedle the Bard with Finnish and English translators for Bjorn. The two then went to a shop that sold little nicknacks and picked out a necklace with a celtic knot for Kathleen. It had been Harry's favourite of the lot. Then they bought a replica Viking boat that when put in water started to row for Aatos. The Finnish Wizard was very proud of his Viking heritage and particularly enjoyed the aspects of Natural Magic rooted in their culture. Brawin was a harder person to buy for, so Sirius settled on book enchanted to trace the owners family tree.

They met back at Florence's for some hot chocolate. They drank it up and Kathleen suggested she take the children to get presents for their parents while the men walked around. They headed immediately to the Quidditch Shop. The men looked around admiring the brooms and discussing quidditch tactics. It wasn't long before Kathleen and the boys showed up. Kathleen making a comment about boys and their toys. The group then headed back to the Leaky Cauldron before setting off for the hotel.

The hotel was in the heart of London it had twelve stories, a swimming pool, and restaurant. They made their way to the front desk children and bags in hand. Upon getting closer Sirius felt his breath catch in his throat. There sitting at the desk was his old friend Remus Lupin. The sandy-haired wizard was slowly turning grey and two distinct scratches marred his otherwise pleasant face. But, he looked tired man did he look tired. Brawin stepped up first saying he had a room booked under McLauggen.

"You are up on the 10th floor." smiled Remus passing Brawin a key and a wrist slip for Aedan to use the pool. Next was Aatos then finally Sirius. He took a deep breath.

"Reservation for Black" he said smoothly. Don't act suspicious he said to himself. Remus' head snapped up eyes taking in Sirius' features and those of the small boy with them.

"Black?" Remus asked.

"Is that a problem" said Sirius in his very best French accent.

"Sorry sir I grew up with many British Blacks any chance you are related"

"I wouldn't know the only thing my father gave me was that last name." he replied coldly. Remus looked immediately apologetic.

"Sorry sir just curious is all, you are also up on the 10th floor" said Remus handing him the key and wrist slip for Harry.

"Thank you, why don't we make our way up to our rooms shall we Julius."

"Mhmm Pa!"

"Wait Mr. Black, how old is your son?" asked Remus trying to sound inquisitive.

"He is a 1 1/2 he will turn 2 mid April. Why?"

"No reason" replied Remus. Sirius instinctively pulled Harry closer to him. Once upon a time he had loved Remus like a brother but until he could prove his innocence Remus was the enemy. He turned to join the rest of the group, Aatos threw an arm around Sirius and whispered in his ear.

"That was strange" Sirius nodded gravely.

"I don't like the looks he was giving Julius, Tav he seemed to soften after awhile but it was odd." said Kathleen. Over the past two months she had grown to love Harry as her own and Sirius had no doubt the Kathleen would fry anyone who tried to hurt Harry.

"Best to just ignore it, the English tend to be a suspicious folk." said Brawin and Sirius had to bite back a retort he was French not English.

"Lets just head up to the rooms guys."

They took the elevator to the 10th floor and decided that they should have a rest before deciding to do anything. Each went to their own separate rooms and as if on cue Harry let out a large yawn.

"Need a nap mucker?"

"Yes Pa!"

Sirius helped Harry change into a pair of pyjamas. Then tucked the child into bed giving him a light kiss on the cheek. He got up and walked towards the bathroom to take a shower when he heard a little voice.

"Pa?"

"Yes Julius?"

"Who that man downstairs?"

"I don't know" Sirius lied. He wanted to explain everything to the child but he couldn't risk Harry telling somebody he was much to young to be trusted with the details he was almost two and he was starting to parrot everything.

"But Harry knew him Pa!"

"Julius" said Sirius with a warning.

"Jul's name was Harry Pa" the child whined.

"You are right it was but now we call you Julius and only Julius."

"But why Pa why?"

Sirius sighed and walked back over to the bed sitting down beside the child.

"Because Jul it is important. Pa needs you to do this for him okay?"

"Otay"

"Good boy, I love you now have your nap."

"Love you too Pa" Harry said as his eyes drifted to sleep. Sirius walked into the bathroom let out a heavy sigh and turned on the shower. He got undressed and stepped in letting the warm water run over him. After he was done he pulled on a pair of pants and slid in next to Harry wrapping his arms around the boy.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

_A/n: Thank-you so much to everyone who reviewed! As for __gemava's suggestion I'm still playing with what I think Harry's element should be. I understand where your coming from with the multiple elements he does seem like a mixture of air and fire . But, I'm pretty sure I'm going to stick with just one. I am trying to stay away from the Super Harry genre it is too overdone in my book. Plus I like the way JKR did it in the books that Harry wasn't really exceptionally powerful it was more his heart and his courage that allowed him to defeat Voldemort. You are on the right track though Harry will most likely be air or fire. But, I want to give him a chance to organically grow in my story because his situation has changed and he won't be the same kid. Of course his core will still be the same but growing up in a loving environment would make him different. _

Dinner that night had been quite and they decided to head down to the swimming pool. They put the boys in the kiddie pool and let them splash around merrily. It wasn't long before the men were jelouse of the amount of fun the babies were having and were right in the pool with them splashing around and having fun. Kathleen sat on the deck in a lawn chair smiling fondly at the scene unfolding in front of her. Somehow the boys had convinced the men that they needed to wear the water buckets as head ware. It was amazing really how each child had wrapped their father around their little finger. The love and care in the men's eyes were evident. She knew this was a good idea. All of them out together for Christmas.

The next day the group hit muggle London. Taking in the sight of the streets decorated in holiday fashion. They even went to a skating rink, the children still too young to go on skates played around or else rode on someone's shoulders. They then sat around the rink drinking hot chocolate and watching the comings and going of the various little families.

"We need to get a picture of the boys on Father Christmas' knee." stated Kathleen pointing to the large line of various children and their parents.

"Ah come on Kath that line is forever and the boys are just going to scream anyway." whined Aatos. She wasn't so easily convinced. "I am not going to hear another word about this out of any of you it is a Christmas tradition."

They waited in line for 45 minutes before making it to the front. They placed the boys on Father Christmas' knee and surprisingly enough none of them cried. Instead they proceed to attempt to pull off his beard. Sirius roared with laughter thinking of what the little prankster Harry would make when he got older.

Back at the hotel Remus Lupin was writing a letter to Professor Dumbledore about the French Black staying in the hotel. The question was what was his first name the other men had referred to him as Tav. He pulled out the record looking to see the name on the credit card. It read Octavian Black. The man seemed legit but something about him made Remus suspicious. Better safe then sorry.

When they got back to the hotel everyone returned to their rooms. Sirius began wrapping presents while Harry slept. The alone time was nice but he was beginning to drown in the memories. This was going to be the first Christmas since his third year that he hadn't spent with James. He felt the tears well-up in his eyes, he hadn't allowed himself to cry for the loss of his friends since the night it happened. He hadn't had the time. He had to take care of Harry and the Compound kept him so busy he hadn't had a chance to properly grieve. He missed them so much, and he was left with a big gapping wound in his heart where James and Lily should have been. He put the present aside and slid into the bed with Harry wrapping his arms around the child as the tears streaked silently down his face.

Harry woke and rolled over to look at Sirius. He could see the confusion on the boy's face. Harry knew Sirius was upset but he wasn't sure what to do about it. The child opted for snuggling closer to his godfather. This only made the tears come faster.

"I love you Harry… so much" he choked.

"Love you too Pa"

Sirius doesn't know how long he just holds Harry. But after a while his tears dry up and he gazes at the small child curled up to him. Harry was the only thing holding him together through all this. He had too the child needed him and he was determined not to let James and Lily down. He pulled the child closer to him and closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

Sirius woke-up the next day feeling better then he had in awhile. He had needed that he had needed to grieve. He had a shower and got both Harry and him dressed and went to knock on everyone else's doors for breakfast they headed down to breakfast. The kids had pancakes while the adults had eggs and bacon. Brawin had suggested that they go see some of the sites of Wizarding London. They all agreed, there was one place in particular Sirius wanted to go. It was a Wizarding Park that wasn't well know. It was just a small forest on the outskirts of London filled with Unicorns and other various magical animals.

They walked along the paths until Brawin and Kathleen suggested they get everyone hot choclate. Aatos took Aedan and Bjorn to go play in the snow. Sirius claimed that he wanted to look around some more. He took Harry to the centre of the forest to where there was a monument to the founder of the park, Charlus Potter.

"You see that there Julius that is your grandpa. He was a great man a kind man. I can't take you to see your parents graves yet. Not until the hunt for me's died down. But, I thought this was the best place to do this."

"Pa?" Harry looked up at him curiously.

"I want to perform a Natural Bonding ritual. I read about it in the library at the Compound. It is kind of just ceremonial but it ties us together. You won't understand till your older Harry." He placed the child down and began drawing a circle around the two of them. He started humming the chant for the spell careful to get the words right. The circle turned to a ring of fire.

"I Sirius Orion Black bond myself to you Harry James Potter. I swear to care for you, protect you, teach you and most importantly to love you. All this and more I promise you." and with that the flames disappeared. Sirius felt a tingle on his chest and opened up his coat and shirt to see that a celtic knot had been tattooed over his heart. Harry began laughing as a smaller own was then etched onto him. He found out over the next couple of days that his was visible to all. A symbol of the oath he had made. Harry's on the other hand was only visible to the two of them.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

_A/n: As always I am not JKR_

It was the day before Christmas Eve and Albus Dumbledore was sitting in the restaurant of a Muggle London Hotel waiting for this mysterious French Black to come down. It worried him that he had never heard of Cygnus having a bastard. The Blacks were a very secretive bunch but these things usually got out in due time. He had owled a friend who worked in the French Ministry and everything seemed in order but Albus was still weary. Young Remus Lupin sat across from him sipping on his tea slowly his nerves evident by the slight shaking of his hands. It was too much that either of them could hope for. For Harry to still be alive. And the more research Albus had done the more he saw it as a shrinking possibility. He even found childhood pictures of Octavian Black.

"Are you sure they will sit close enough to us for you to get a good look Professor?"

"Have faith my dear boy, and if that fails I've confunded the waiters." Remus evidently breathed a sigh of relief. And then he caught them out of the coroner of his eye. The group of adults with three small children heading their way. The waitress placed them at the table right behind them and Remus gave Dumbledore a nod. They listened to the table intently. The adults laughed and joked around as the children coloured on the table mats.

"Pa! look what Jul drew"

"That is a beautiful drawing Julius." replied Octavian.

" Better watch it Tav or your little one is going to be a starving artist." teased the Finnish wizard.

"As long as he doesn't end up in jail I'll be happy with this one's mischievous streak I'll be damned keeping him on the straight and narrow." laughed Octavian.

Albus turned around in his seat "If you don't mind me asking how old are your little guys?"

Kathleen's eyes narrowed at the old man's inquisitive question when she saw Remus sitting at the table. "All three boys are around 1 1/2" replied Brawin.

"A such a fun age, where are you all from."

"Tavian and Julius are from France, Aatos and Bjorn are from Finland and my lot are from Ireland. But, we all live in a small village in Northern Ireland." replied Kathleen cooly.

Sirius could feel Dumbledore trying to us Legillimency on him. Fortunately even before he began using Natural Magic, Sirius was very proficient at defending his mind. With his training he was impenetrable. Kathleen must have noticed the concentration on his face because he heard her mutter an illusion spell under her breath. And with that the ground beneath the other two wizards began to shake but it didn't bother anyone else, nor did they even seem to notice it.

"I have been extremely tolerable up until this point but when you attempt to invade the privacy of my friends mind you have crossed the line" she spat venomously. The table began to shake even more. Sirius suddenly felt incredibly stupid how could he have not known Kathleen was an Earth element. Steady, reliable, comforting, but deadly if you crossed her. He tried to hold back his smirk at the gob-smacked look on Dumbledore's face. Clearly he was not used to being so openly challenged, nor was he used to people being able to tell when he was trying to invade their minds.

"I believe an apology and an explanation is in order," said Brawin taking on the same dangerous tone as his wife.

"I suggest you answer the question, before you have to deal with Four Natural Wizards and a Witch," Aatos glowered. Sirius suddenly became aware that he didn't know what elements his two friends were. Part of him wanted Dumbledore to do something so his curiosity would be satisfied.

" My apologies, it is just we have a dangerous dark wizard on the run in England right now who also happens to be a Black. It is imperative we find his whereabouts."

"And you suspect Tavian?" laughed Aatos. "He may have a temper on him but he is far from a dark wizard." Sirius beamed at his friends loyalty. If nothing else they believed he was a good person. It was much more then he could say for the sandy-haired wizard at the other table. Had Remus even questioned it, had he even tried to give him the benefit of the doubt?

"You are definitely barking up the wrong tree, Tave is a good person and if he knew of this dark wizard he would have alerted the proper authorities," said Brawin with a note of finality.

"Exactly, I have no loyalty to the Blacks had I know of any dark wizard I would have dealt with it accordingly" replied Sirius with an icy tone.

"My apologies again, If I may ask how did you know I was performing Legillimency?"

"So it is okay if the victim doesn't know their mind is being unknowingly compromised is that it?" snapped Kathleen.

"That is not what I meant, we have been at war for years I guess I have acquired some nasty habits."

"It is a byproduct of Natural Magic we are in touch with our core we know when something is off." said Aatos not quite losing his dangerous tone.

"I think we will go have Breakfast in another restaurant, shall we boys" said Kathleen getting up to leaver the restaurant. Brawin waved the waiter down telling him to charge the drinks to the room. And with that they left, leaving a very flustered Dumbledore and a blushing Lupin in their wake.

"Well that could have gone better did you at least find anything interesting before he noticed?" Remus asked hesitantly.

"All I got were memories of some sort of village and a few of shopping in France. I had enough time but those just played over and over again," Albus muttered.

"I've never had anyone able to react to me that quickly, it was slightly unnerving."

"Was it that Natural Magic thing they were talking about Professor?"

"I'm not sure, Remus to be honest I've never really taken the idea seriously before."

At a small restaurant just a few blocks away from the hotel Sirius was breathing a major sigh of relief. He had survived his first encounter with Dumbledore but the old man was sure to be suspicious. He couldn't afford any mistakes, he had never been known for keeping a cool head but he would have if he wanted to keep Harry.

The child in question hadn't seemed to noticed anything amiss with his godfather/father. He was busy babbling in the way young kids do. Sirius was determined to make their first Christmas as a family special. "You alright there Tavian?" Kathleen asked looking concerned.

"Yeah I just don't like being reminded of the reputation my family has in this country. The dark looks, the suspicion," replied Sirius it wasn't a lie in fact it was true.

"Ah don't worry bout it boy'o we look after our own," said Brawin with a slap on the back. Sirius threw him a grateful smile.

"If they mess with one of us they mess with all of us," agreed Aatos.

"How bout we finnish up our breakfast and go do something fun, lets not let them ruin our day," said Sirius.

Everyone finished their meals and they walked the various street shops set out down the streets of London. They hadn't been walking long before the boys noticed a shop down the road and started tugging on their parents sleeves and pointing. It took the adults a minute to register that the shop was selling Christmas trees.

"What is Christmas without a tree?" grinned Sirius as he scooped Harry up onto his shoulders. The boy giggled with delight as they walked over to the shop and the adults let the boys pick the tree. They of course picked the smallest measliest looking tree but it was perfect for the hotel room. Sirius and Aatos took the tree round a back alley way. Preserving it then shrinking it to fit in a pocket. They continued walking around buying various ornaments for the trees and drinking hot chocolate. Once they had bought enough ornaments they headed back to the hotel room to set up the tree. They played Christmas music and levitated ornaments on the tree, at least they did before Sirius had the bright idea to wrap the kids up in tinsel. He finished wrapping the rest of the gifts after dinner and then gave Harry a bath before retiring for the night.

_A/n: Little longer this time around it was ridiculously short sorry about that guys. Sorry to all the Remus fans if you feel I'm treating him harshly but I am attempting to bring out some of those flaws that kind of flew under the radar in the books. His willingness to let Dumbledore do whatever he wants because he is grateful too him, the broken friendship that occurred during the war. How they both let the war come between their friendship. He is a good person but like Sirius he is also very flawed and I feel that Remus' flaws tend to get glossed over because of his good nature. So, I'm curious what elements do you think Aatos and Brawin are? I would also be interested to know what you think other H.P characters suit which element. Again thank you all for the support! _


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9

_A/n: Hey guys if you haven't read the updated version of the last chapter please go check that out first. Just a friendly reminder that this story is rated mature but that properly won't come full circle till later on but I just wanted to make sure everyone know what they are getting into._

Christmas Eve arrived and the group were trying to figure out what they would do to celebrate. Brawin suggested that they head to Diagon Alley as they usually had something going on for the Christmas celebration. They bundled the boys up and apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. Sirius had to keep himself in check letting Brawin lead the way. They were hit with the smell of peppermint and candy canes as soon as they stepped onto the alley. There were various house elves dressed in green hats for the season. Kids running around from booth to booth. One booth had wish lanterns, you made a with and light the lantern and let it float out into the sky. Sirius had many memories of him and his brother Regulus lighting one every Christmas.

There was another booth set up to take family portraits. Each little family took one individual then, then they took one together. The Christmas cheer was contagious and Sirius felt a strange warmth being surrounded by all these familiar faces. Two booths over was Molly and Arthur Weasly with their gigantic red-headed brood. There was a boy there about Harry's age, Sirius used to know the child's name but It wouldn't come to him now.

They had dinner at a cute little restaurant on the alley. Before joining a large group of various witches and wizards singing traditional wizarding Christmas Carollers. And as if on cue a light snow began falling down on the alley dusting everybody with white. Sirius scooped Harry into his arms and carried him to a small bench so the two of them could sit down. It had been a long day, and Harry was getting sleepy.

"We should probably head back get these guys to bed," yawned Aatos.

Everyone nodded their agreements and they headed back to the hotel. Sirius gave Harry a bath, put into his pyjamas and the two drifted off to sleep.

At three in the morning Sirius awoke to a light knock on the door. He slowly slid out of bed

trying his hardest not to wake Harry. He opened the door and let Kathleen in. They snuck across the room to the closet that held Harry's gifts from Father Christmas. He passed some of them to Kathleen and then grabbed the rest himself. They snuck quietly out of the room to Kathleen and Brawin's room to put Harry's gifts under the tree. The tree was loaded with gifts and looked wonderfully festival. The adults smiled softly then silently said goodbye to one another.

They didn't wake up again till 4 hours later and Sirius took an absolutely giddy Harry to the room across the hall to open presents. The adults grinned at the 3 shocked little faces as the children gazed wide-eyed at the amount of presents under the tree.

"Look Pa prezzents!" said Harry

"Yes Juls presents!" laughed Sirius,

First they passed out the children's presents from Father Christmas. Sirius sat on his hands waiting for Harry to finally get to his presents or at least one. Sirius had went to great lengths to get this gift. Kathleen helped Harry rip open the wrapping paper and inside the box was a brown Stag stuffy with a lily embroidered on the side. Harry's eyes lit up and he hugged the stuffy close. Brawin smiled softly."He'll need a name Julius."

Harry looked expectantly at Sirius. "How bout Prongs?"

"Pongs" said Harry nodded confidently.

"Now where did you get a name like that Tavian?" asked Aatos.

"Must have heard it somewhere," smiled Sirius.

Now it was time for the adults to open gifts. Harry got Sirius a Christmas Tree ornament of his handprint. Sirius thanked Harry for the gift and winked at Kathleen. Kathleen had gotten Sirius a red jumper, Brawin had gotten him a new tool set, and Aatos had gotten him a silver photo album.

"Every father needs one of those, place to keep happy memories." smiled Aatos.

"Thank you Aatos this is just perfect," Sirius smiled.

"Thank-you everyone."

They headed down to the restaurant to have breakfast. The drank eggnog and sang Christmas Carols. They then bundled the boys up and took them to a big open field where they made a snow angles and a snowman. Brawin made sure to take lots of pictures for Sirius to put in his new album. The unusual family walked the streets of London taking in all the Christmas cheer. Listening to carollers and drinking hot chocolate. All in all Sirius couldn't have imagined a more perfect first Christmas for the two of them.

Back in Scotland Professor Dumbledore and young Remus Lupin were talking seriously in his office. "There is something up with that Tavian Black Professor I can feel it."

"What do you purpose my boy we have no evidence to link him to Sirius nothing can be done."

"What about that village in Ireland they were talking about? What if I go there."

"How do you suppose we narrow it down"

"They spoke of Natural Magic how many places in Ireland practice that?"

"I will look into it Remus and let you know as soon as I can."

"Thank you Professor"

The next day Sirius was packing him and Harry up to return to the compound. Brawin said that all the elders warned them to be back before New Year's Eve or else miss an incredible party. He was sad their little vacation was over it had been nice to be back in England even if he was disguised as someone else. He had to enchant their suitcase to hold all the stuff the two had accumulated from Christmas. Although, Sirius was sure he charred a few of his shirts in the process. He still hadn't gotten used to all of his magic encompassing the fire element. After his first day of training he had nearly burnt their trailer down when trying to levitate his glasses to the sink. Brawin assured him this was normal that there would be an adjustment period before his magic settled down. Harry on the other hand thought it was hilarious when his Pa would accidentally set things on fire. He smiled down at the child who was currently playing on the floor with Prongs and his new stuffed dog he aptly named Snuffles.

_A/n: Just a little bit of fluff but things are going to get going fast. Thanks to everybody reading this story the support has been amazing! Stay tuned for the next chapter, I'll give you a hint we will be seeing some very big displays of Natural Magic. _


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

_A/n: In case you haven't heard I am not nor have I ever been the illustrious JKR so it can be inferred that I do not own Harry Potter or anything connected with him. Thank you to the reviewer who pointed out that Sirius sometimes calls Harry by his real name instead of Julius or Juls in company. I've gone over the story and fixed the two times I could find the mistake made in the dialogue while they are in company. In the hotel room and when the bonding ceremony takes place they are alone. There may very well be more it is hard keeping Sirius and Harry's alter egos straight so feel free if you find a place where I call them the wrong names to point it out._

The next few days at the compound had been rather quiet as everyone was setting up for this mysterious New Year's Eve celebration. Sirius and the rest of the gang had tried to volunteer to help out but Patrick wouldn't have any of it. He said that it was a surprise for all the new members, so they were left to watch as older members carried various things out to the field behind the compound. Ever since they returned Harry had not parted with his "Pongs" and his "Snuffles". It made Sirius smile to see Harry so attached to them.

New Year's Eve came faster then Sirius could have imagined he had put Harry down for a nap during the afternoon so he could stay up for the celebrations. As the sun started to descend the members of the compound headed out to the back field. The field was alight with colourful tents and performers. Sirius felt like he was at one of those muggle carnivals. He looked down at Harry to see his eyes alight with wonder. Everyone met in the centre of the field, and surrounded Patrick in a big circle.

"Attention everyone!" the old wizard called and the entire crowd fell silent. The way Patrick's followers looked to him reminded Sirius strongly of how Wizarding Britain looked to Dumbledore. But, unlike Dumbledore Patrick didn't attempt to be a machiavellian puppet master. Sirius had always had great respect for Dumbledore but now that he had been away from Wizarding Britain he had started to realize how manipulative the man really was. It had taken him stepping out of the situation to see it, but now it was crystal clear. Patrick was never manipulative, in fact he was the opposite he encouraged his followers to make their own decisions and follow their hearts.

"Welcome everyone to our New Year's Eve celebration, have fun enjoy the party and get ready for the blessing of the compound at midnight!" The crowd burst into applause. They wandered around looking at the various sights. Harry caught sight of a giant teddy bear in one of the game tents and kept pointing. Sirius gave in pretty quickly and walked over to the tent to see if he had any chance of getting it for him. The game itself had a pretty simple premise using only your element you had to get the ball from one end of the spiral tube to the other. For air and water it was just learning to manipulate your element enough to get it through the tube but it would take a while if you weren't good at it. Earth and fire you had to be a bit more creative. Sirius gazed at the tube for a while and then was struck with inspiration. He lit a flame just behind the ball using the breeze to fan the smoke through the tube as it manipulated its way through the spiral tube. The ball moved with the smoke when the ball approached a particularly difficult turn he would blast it with fire propelling the ball through it at high speeds. It took him all of 30 seconds. Needless to say he got Harry the teddy bear. The game manager looked impressed telling him he had quite a bit of skill.

He set off to find the rest of his group watching one of the various performers. It was a woman who danced around with a hula hoop set on fire. The act was mesmerizing, her movements, the music everything. Sirius could not take his eyes off of her. When she was finished everyone applauded she bowed then walked over to Patrick who was holding a little girl about Harry's age. When she reached them the child reached her arms out making it evident that she was her mother.

Throughout the night they played games drank butterbeer and watched the various performers. They had settled down on a bench and the adults were trading tales of the best and worst New Year's Parties they had been too. Out of the coroner of his eye Sirius noticed Patrick walk over accompanied by the fire dancer and her daughter.

"I would like you all to meet Calist and her daughter Judith they are moving into the trailer next to yours after tonight. Calist grew up on the compound but has decided to return."

"Welcome back the" smiled Kathleen.

"I'm Kathleen this here is my husband Brawin and our son Aedan, that over their is Aatos with his boy Bjorn and finally Tavian and Julius."

"Nice to meet you all," replied Calist quietly. Brawin conjured her a chair and she sat down at the table. She was friendly but quiet Sirius could tell she was hiding a few demons of her own, but who was he to judge. She had long dark brown hair that fell well past her shoulders and dark blue eyes, she was on the shorter side but it suited her petite figure. Her daughter on the other hand had a lighter dirty blonde/light brown but she had the identical dark blue eyes. Sirius was slightly unsettled by Judith's eyes it was evident that the child had been through too much at such a young age. Sirius hoped Harry's eyes would never look like that.

"It is five minutes till midnight we must prepare for the blessing ceremony," called Patrick.

"This year as always the blessing will be performed by a few of our newest members. I call Kathleen to represent the earth element, Brawin for the water element, Aatos to act as the air, and Tavian for fire." All four of them look shocked but stood up and walked towards Patrick who called for the pentagram to be drawn and explained what they would have to do. At the top point of the star they placed a drop of their blood and then took their places in the spots of earth, wind, air, and fire. When midnight stuck the four started to chant and Sirius could feel the magic humming around them. He could feel the power as he felt the rain pour down from clouds he hadn't even realized were there. Then suddenly the wind picked up, and the earth cracked. Until a ring of fire appeared around the pentagram tying them together and then a crack of lightning struck in the centre of the star. The four of them fell back and the fire disappeared along with all that came with it. If the crowd hadn't been cheering Sirius would have thought they had failed. The party continued on after the blessing and they walked back to their table where Calist and the children were.

An hour later Sirius still hadn't come down off the high wielding that kind of power had given him. Patrick clapped him on the shoulder "That was a sight to see you four, I've only seen the blessing ceremony that strong two other times. All four of you are gifted, but you are stronger together. We all must remember that their is a fifth element, one that humbles all others."

"What element would that be?" laughed Aatos.

"Love of course" was Patrick's easy reply.

Back in Scotland Remus Lupin was waiting in Dumbledore's office. The old man sat down in a chair and ran a hand over his face. "I think I know where Tavian Black is living. Turns out there is a Natural Magic Compound in Northern Ireland. I want you to go and look into it. There is more to Tavian Black then seems and you need to find out what."

"With all do respect Sir Tavian and his friends weren't overly fond of me. Should you maybe send someone who won't put them all on edge."

" I need someone with an invested interest in finding Sirius Black, they may be suspicious at first but if you keep your distance and stay away from the child they'll let their guard down. And if they don't surveillance at a distance is better then none at all."

"Okay Professor, I'll do it."

_A/n: Hope you guys liked it, this is the chapter I was the most nervous to get right. It is the first time we truly see what Natural Magic can do especially when using all four elements. It is also when we first hear of the illusive fifth element. Love like in the actual books is going to be a huge part of this story most importantly the love between Sirius and Harry. As cliched as it is love can move mountains and I intend to move some in this story. Thank you everyone for sticking with me and supporting me. In the words of the amazing J.K. Rowling "No story can ever be told if there isn't someone willing to listen" so thank you for listing._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

_A/n: To my most faithful reviewer Man of Constant Sorrow good catch with the Lightning/Electricity being an element. My intention is to keep basically in line with the classical notion of the four elements earth, wind, fire and air. In various forms of Wicca the fifth element is either blood or the soul I've switched those out for love. For the sake of this story lightning and electricity is the result of the power of the elements think wind and water powered electricity. It also happens when all the elements meet. Hope that explains everything. Also of note this chapter will contain mentions of child abuse so heed the mature rating, as always I am not JKR._

Over the course of the next few days Calista and Judith settled into their little family nicely. Judith was a sweet child but very quiet. Sirius didn't mention it to anyone but he was pretty sure he knew why the two had returned to the compound. They hid it well it wouldn't have been evident to anyone who had not experienced something similar. But the symptoms were all to familiar the way Judith cringed whenever a man raised his hand. The way she clung to her mother at the slightest noise. Sirius found himself giving the little girl extra attention. He would bring her little presents and did his best to be extra kind to her. She was warming up to him slowly.

Calist took most of her workshops with Sirius as she was also a fire element. Sirius enjoyed spending time with her. Once he had gotten her to open up a bit he really enjoyed her company. Sirius still had a bit of a hero complex and wanted to help heal the wounds Calist and Judith had undoubtedly suffered. But, that would require him asking her about her past and what right did he have to intrude on hers. So, he did all he could do. Harry was a big help with Judith the little boy had such a huge heart and had adopted Judith as his sister over the past couple weeks. The two would play together endlessly.

On one particular evening they were all out in the field so the kids could play in the snow. The kids would fill their buckets with snow and try to make castles. The adults laughed sipping on hot tea in their mugs looking on at the children.

"Isn't that the man from the hotel?" asked Kathleen. As she nodded her head towards a downtrodden Remus Lupin having a quiet conversation with Patrick.

" Yeah, but what in Merlin's name is he doing here?" said Brawin eyes narrowing in suspicion. Sirius had realized since the incident at the hotel that the people of the compound did not like people messing with one of their own. Kathleen reacted strongly to anyone she felt threatened a member of the group. She had decided upon their first meeting that she didn't like Remus and if he intended to intrude upon their lives Sirius new the werewolf was in for a rude awakening.

"What's got your wands in a knot?" asked Calist.

"That man over there keeps pestering Tave, I don't trust him," snarled Kathleen. Calist nodded and looked over at the man. She then got a wicked grin on her face.

"Want to know what there saying?" she grinned. She muttered a few words under her breath and then their voices drifted over to them.

"Ah don't worry about that my boy, we aren't prejudice around here no one will question it." Remus breathed a sigh of relief.

"I also met a few of your inhabitants before, I didn't make a very good first impression."

"Their suspicion will die down in good time, if you are who I think you are they have a right to be."

"I know, after years of being at war I've grown a great deal more suspicious and much less courteous. I just hope they can come to forgive me."

"I suggest you leave well enough alone for now, they are a tight knit group with young children. If they feel threatened you might be in for it."

"Will do, Patrick and thank you for everything."

The next few days seemed to pass by with no incidents and Sirius began to think that maybe Remus had come here for other reasons then to intrude in his life. One night they were sitting at their usual table in the kitchen waiting for Calist to join them as she had chosen kitchen duty as her job. Sirius had Harry on one knee and Judith on the other as the two children talked animatedly with each other. Every so often one of the other two children would make a comment.

"How was your day boys?" Calist said as she sat down and scooped Judith up.

"And what am I chopped liver?" asked Kathleen trying to sound indignant but failed miserably.

"Well, I didn't think much had changed since I saw you ten minutes ago. Forgive me?" laughed Calist.

"This time I guess."

"We had a pretty good day a little sore though we are building an addition on the schoolhouse," smiled Brawin.

"Speak for yourself old timer me and Aatos are just fine, aren;t we?"

"Right you are Tav,"

"I'm not that old!" complained Brawin.

"Of course you aren't dear," comforted Kathleen.

"She has to say that if you are old she is too," laughed Calist tickling Judith who giggled.

After dinner they went to the park the children ran ahead. If they had been anywhere else Sirius would have been nervous, but the compound was probably the safest place in the world. They walked around the coroner to see Remus showing the kids a picture. Sirius stopped dead in his tracks.

"Have any of you seen this man?" he asked pointing to the picture. The kids all shook their head. " You sure you haven't seen him Julius?" Harry shook his head again but Remus did not want to seem to leave it be. Sirius could feel the anger boiling up inside him. He knew Remus thought he was doing something good but he was threatening his and Harry's relationship and he was not going to let him get away with it.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he yelled and stormed over to where Remus was standing.

"I"

"I've been extremely tolerant up until now but If I ever see you pestering my son again believe me I will end you," growled Sirius.

"And you can be sure we will be their to help," said Aatos in a low voice.

"Definitely!" said Calist eyes narrowed.

"I…..I'm sorry, I will be heading out now I guess," stammered Remus as he walked away.

Sirius could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He was at the boiling point, if Remus as much as looked at Harry sideways he was going to explode.

A/n: Sorry for the wait guys this chapter gave me a bit of trouble. I had such bad writer's block, I ended up having to just force myself to get through it. So this chapter is a bit of filler but it leads to something I swear. Up next Remus gets his element (what do you guys think it will be?) We learn more about our newest members and Sirius and Remus get their showdown. Thanks again guys!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12

_A/N: As always I do not own the Harry Potter Books or the characters. Thank you everyone for your support I hope you like this chapter I had a fun time writing it. It came much easier then the last chapter I guess you really do just have to force your way through writer's block. _

Albus Dumbledore was at a loss. He had planned everything so perfectly. Of course he would have preferred if the Potter's hadn't died, he wasn't heartless. He just had a feeling that they would and if he was perfectly honest with himself their untimely demise was supposed to make his job significantly easier. But, their death was not what he wanted. He had even offered to be their Secret Keeper in order to keep them safe longer. Unfortunately, James Potter had an arrogant streak and would not believe he had been mistaken in Black. So when the terrible event came to pass Albus had promised himself that he would do everything possible to ensure the permeant downfall of Tom Riddle.

He had not counted on Black being such a thorn in his side. He now had no idea where young Harry Potter was, or if he was even alive. For all he knew Black had dropped the baby off in an ocean somewhere. But, he had to be sure and he knew this Tavian Black could help him answer some questions. He felt bad manipulating young Remus but he was his in and he had to go for it. Even if he never found Harry Black had to be punished, not only for his betrayal but for his consistent destruction of Albus' best laid plans.

It was late February on the compound and things had been running pretty smoothly. Remus had kept his distance since Sirius' latest threat. The weather was starting to warm-up slowly and the snow was melting slightly. Sirius was having a hard time keeping up with the laundry as Harry would come home completely soaked from head to toe every single day freezing. Kathleen had come to his rescue again bringing over a pair of slush pants for the child. Sirius and Harry were reading a story-book in their trailer waiting for the call to supper. It was Harry's favourite story the "Wizard and the Hopping Pot" Sirius turned the page and Harry giggled at the illustration as it hopped around on the page.

"Pa look it hops" he giggled.

"Yes Jules the pot hops."

"How come our pots no hop?"

"I don't know Jules" laughed Sirius.

At that moment Sirius heard the bell go and he scooped Harry up and headed out towards the kitchen.

"Dinners a little early today?" he asked as Kathleen and Brawin strolled up Aedan swinging between them.

"The Element Choosing Ceremony is tonight"

"That soon again?"

" Normally we'd wait till Spring's end but as we have four new members Patrick thought it would be best to have one now," answered Brawin.

"Ahh"

"Wait up you lot!"

They turned around to see Aatos and Bjorn running as fast as Bjorn's little legs could carry him to catch up. The two had obviously been having a nap.

"Is Judith with Calist?" he asked Kathleen.

"Yeah she picked her up after daycare"

They walked into the kitchen hut and immediately saw Judith standing up on a chair waving frantically. 'Jules, Jorn, Dan!"

"Judy!" all three boys yelled and took off for their table.

"Hey there Calist dinner finished early today?" asked Sirius.

"Yeah its just something simple since its the Choosing Ceremony."

Sirius nodded and then it occurred to him Remus would be getting his element tonight. He tried to think of what his former friend's element would be. If this had been last year Sirius would have said earth in a heartbeat. He now new better Remus may give off the vibe of being steady and reliable he really wasn't. Remus was easily manipulated and could turn quickly. He took things too much in stride and refused to fight for the things he wanted. Earth knows where it stands its reliability and easy going nature was out of confidence not weakness.

Sirius noticed he was lost in his thoughts and hadn't noticed two of the people had chosen their elements already. Remus looked nervous as he stepped into the ring he started chanting the familiar words and a jet of water shot to the ceiling. So, Remus was water. Sirius looked over at Brawin who had a small frown on his face. He obviously wasn't fond of his association with the meddling stranger.

Sirius knew though that Remus and Brawin were too very different facets of the water element. Brawin was a steady stream that carves its way through the elements powerful but constant. He goes with the flow but knows when to carve his own way. Remus was like the ocean intimidated by its vastness its mood comes and goes with the tide as it is with the moon. Powerful but easily tarnished muggles had been manipulating the ocean for centuries over fishing filling it up with garbage. Unlike a river that can push the garbage out, the ocean is left with it. Sirius was brought back to his thoughts as a plate was pushed in front of him.

The group ate in silence until Patrick made his way to the front of the room.

"It is my pleasure to announce that at the end of march we will be having our annual Elemental Showdown! Because, it is not enough to know how to channel it in a safe environment. Many of you will not remain in the safety of the compound forever and you need to be prepared to use the skills you have learn't here in battle. Keep in mind these are like duelling clubs we will not tolerate the maiming of your 's a fun competition and I suggest you prepare as their is a prize for whoever wins!"

Sirius could feel a rush of excitement. He had always had a bit of a competitive side and nothing got him going quiet like duelling. Part of him was nervous because he knew he'd be going up agains opponents who had been using Natural Magic for years but if Sirius had always been an extremely strong dueller. When he had been in Auror training Moody had said that Sirius was one of the best duellers he had ever seen. And even if he failed miserably against more seasoned opponents it couldn't hurt to get some practice in with his new found powers. Like Patrick had said he didn't intend on living at the compound forever.

_A/N: I know I said Sirius and Remus would have a showdown in this chapter but we aren't quite there yet. I know a lot of you think Remus should have been earth and I was originally going to have him as earth but I think the werewolf side of him keeps him from being able to be earth. And as the moon affects the tide I thought it worked. So, what did you guys think? And thanks for the support again. _


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13

_A/N: As always I do not own the Harry Potter Books or the characters. Thank you everyone for your support. _

Remus' hands were shaking he hadn't been able to calm down since his last encounter with Octavian Black. The man may very well be innocent in all regards but that didn't mean he wasn't completely capable of terrifying Remus. It was a Black family trait that even this bastard who had been raised far away from the influence of the Nobel and Most Ancient House of Black had seemingly inherited. Even when Sirius had been eleven years old his temper had made Remus anxious. This new Black was just as terrifying. Remus hated being scared. To this day he still doesn't understand why the sorting hat placed him in Gryffindor when he was such a coward.

He was just very good at pretending not to be afraid. When they were in their seventh year Remus had broken down about being terrified of having to venture out into the world away from the safety of Hogwarts. When the other boys forced him to tell them what was going on, he laughed about how cowardly they must think he was. Each of his friends acted in typical fashion. James told him he was being an idiot, that was James so privileged that he often failed to see the bad in any situation. To James there was nothing you couldn't get through with your friends by your side. Peter sympathized, he knew what it was like to be afraid and then he had managed to do the unthinkable. It was Peter who summed up the courage to go after Sirius despite the odds being monumentally against him. Who would have know that their weakest link would turn out to be the strongest. Sirius mirrored James' comment about him being an idiot, stating that for someone so smart Remus could be incredibly stupid sometimes. " The fact that you are willing to go on despite your crippling fear is what makes you strong, the sorting hat put you where you belong," Sirius snapped at him.

That comment had lighted a fire in Remus' heart and he had kept it with him during their years after Hogwarts. Sirius had been funny that way, he tended to say the most profoundly kind things in such a derogatory way. He hated when his friends had doubts and could never understand how they couldn't see their own worth. How had that young man turned into the man who would betray his friends. That is why Remus had agreed to work with Dumbledore he wanted to know why? It was his anger at the betrayal rather then courage that had brought him here to the compound.

Today the lists of the first fights were going up. Remus knew he was unlikely to be able to win any of them. Despite being a strong dueller when using contemporary magic he had issues when performing Natural Magic. His instructors said it was because in order to be able to perform Natural Magic to the best of your ability you had to be at peace with yourself. You had to access your magical core, you weren't channelling it through the core of a wand it was purely from your own magical power. Patrick said he would need to make peace with the wolf before he would see his true ability. Remus had no idea how he was supposed to make peace with the monster that ruined his life.

"Remus, I need to talk to you in my office, would you mind coming along?" asked Patrick from the other side of the field. Remus nodded and followed the man to his office. Patrick seemed tense and the aurora surrounding the man sent Remus on edge this was not good news.

" I wanted to tell you who your first fight is with, before the list goes up."

" It's Black isn' it," sighed Remus.

"Unfortunately yes, the villages elders are responsible for choosing who fights who and they seem to think that your animosity will help fuel both of your powers. Your first three fights are meant to encourage abilities. I only worn you because Tavian is a formidable opponent and you seem to be struggling still."

"He'll destroy me, he hates me,"

" He won't destroy you seriously injuring and maiming are not allowed but he will push you. You should prepare yourself physically and mentally over the next week you will need all the help you can get."

"Thank you, sir."

" I don't play favourites here Remus so don't mistake my kindness for acceptance of your behaviour. People come here to escape things to find peace and for someone who wishes for such acceptance you don't seem to want to allow Tavian that."

"But, he could have connections to Sirius Black," snapped Remus indignantly. He wasn't fond of being lectured he was the good one.

" I don't want to hear it Remus, the compound will not let those with ill intentions through. Evil is not welcome here. It is ancient magic and one that has far more insight into the minds of others then you do." said Patrick in a calm tone but one that indicated discussion was not welcome on the subject.

"Then why did it allow a werewolf onto the property then?" growled Remus.

"The wolf is not evil the wolf is a force of nature that can't be controlled the person that the wolf resides inside is who the compound judges."

"Oh," was all Remus could say.

" Now I suggest you start practicing now,"

Meanwhile at the other end of the compound the group of friends were hanging out in Aatos' trailer waiting for the list to go up. The kids were playing quietly on the floor as the adults discussed the upcoming event.

"Usually the winner is someone who thinks outside the box, uses their element in creative ways and doesn't forget that they can summon other elements if they wish," stated Calist her insight into the compound was proving to be quiet useful. They heard the bell ring and slowly walked towards the centre of the village. A list was taped to the ruins Sirius did not recognize the names listed next to his friends but the name next to his fake name was all to familiar Remus Lupin. Calist tapped his shoulder and beckoned him to follow her.

"I know their is more to your hatred of Lupin then you let on, I'm not going to ask, you've respected my secrets and I will do the same to yours. But, you can not let your hatred of him rule you in the ring. Emotions can help fuel your power but they can also hinder it. Stay focused and calm if you manage to do that you will be unbeatable. He may not have had the practice but his hatred doesn't run as deep as yours he will have the advantage if you lose your cool."

"Thank you" was all he could muster.

"If you want some practice I don't fight till the day after you,"

"Sure," he smiled.

"Kay, meet me in the back field at nine tommorrow"

" See you then,"

The next day Sirius got ready and dropped Harry off at Kathleen's who had agreed to watch him well Sirius practiced.

"Thanks for this again Kath,"

"No problem Tave, Jules and Aedan will have a great time, won't we boys?"

Over the next week Sirius and Calist practiced everyday. She taught him tricks of the trade things that could only been known through growing-up around Natural Magic. He taught her flare and creativity. Using bits and techniques he had picked up in auoror training and incorporated into Natural Magic. They didn't have duels per say it was more of a competition of who could create the most elaborate forms of magic. Calist may have been performing Natural Magic longer Sirius' pranking abilities made the contest pretty even. On the last day after a particularly gruelling practice the two laid on the grass in the middle of the field.

"You'll do great tomorrow Tave," she smiled as she rolled on her side to look at him.

"All thanks to you," he said rolling over to face her.

"Yeah I am pretty great aren't I," she smirked. Sirius let out a bark like laugh. The sun was starting to go down and Sirius couldn't help but be taken in by Calist's beauty. Her brown hair fell in waves down her shoulder and her blue eyes though weary from the match sparkled. It took all his will-power not to kiss her. He couldn't afford to start a relationship with her, she was accepting of his secrets now but a relationship required honesty and honesty was the one thing he couldn't give.

The next day Sirius dressed himself and Harry in their cerulean blue robes and headed out to the field. He dropped Harry off with Kathleen and Brawin, giving the boy an extra hug.

"I love you Jules," he said passing the boy to Kathleen to hold.

"Love you too Pa," whispered Harry. The boy was feeding off of Sirius' nerves and he felt extremely guilty for exposing the child to that. He walked to the centre of the field where Remus was already standing. Patrick stood between the two of them a hand facing palm out towards each of them.

"The rules are as follows you will play until one gives in or passes out. You will not maim or seriously injure your opponent. You may only use Natural Magic and remember this is all in fun. On the count of three. One …. two … three!" and with the Patrick left the circle. Sirius shot a beam of fire directly at Remus who rolled out of the way. He responded with a stream of water shot back at Sirius' way. Without even thinking taking in Calist advice shooting a jet or air towards the water splitting it down the middle. Remus visibly paled he had not known that people could use other elements.

Sirius smirked to himself and before Remus could react he encircled Remus in a ring of fire. Remus attempted to put it out but Sirius summoned up the air element and forced the flames higher Remus's feeble water stream couldn't compete. Sirius brought the flames back down and Remus sent clouds with a down pour towards Sirius. The rain was so strong Sirius couldn't see. But, he wasn't about to be out down. He summoned the wind pushing the rain clouds back towards Remus. His heart was pounding with the familiar rush of duelling. Sirius had always had a reckless streak and duelling sent that into overdrive. The all of a sudden just as Remus had made the clouds dissipate Sirius screwed up. He dropped into a duelling crouch forcing his hand towards the ground hard sending a wall of fire hurling towards Remus. Remus' eyes widened in realization and Sirius knew he screwed up. It was similar to a move he was famous for. He used to call it bowling like the muggle game. He would just send raw energy at his opponent knocking them back no curse no spell just magic. When the wall dissipated Remus' eyes narrowed for a second and then passed-out cold. As the crowd jumped up in celebration all Sirius could think of was "Oh shit."

_A/n: Its a little longer then my usual chapters but I wanted all of this together. There seems to be some romance in the air but I assure you romance will not takeover this story is a bonding flick if any romances develop it will be strictly a side-story. I hope you guys liked the duel and Sirius' slip-up as well as Remus' brief POV. Thank you again for all your support and the next chapter should be up relatively shortly. _


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14

_A/n: As always I am not JKR and therefore own nothing. This chapter is where the mature rating is coming into focus. Mostly just swearing so be warned._

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Sirius yelled as he sat in the empty waiting room of the healer's hut. It was just him and Harry as everyone else was still watching the rest of today's fight. After Remus had been knocked out Sirius had scooped up Harry and claimed they were going to go have a nap. What on earth was he going to do. How could he have been so stupid, he just handed Remus the handcuffs. Part of him wanted to run, run for the hills and find a new hiding place but everything was so perfect here he couldn't just up and leave. He looked at Harry who was playing with blocks on the floor. The child raised his head looked Sirius in the eyes and said clear as day "Fuck" Sirius couldn't help himself he threw his head back and laughed. If only Lily could see her son now he thought. At that moment a healer strolled into the room.

"He's awake now, if you want to go in and see him. He's still a bit disorientated though."

"I'll see him," Sirius nodded scooping Harry up in his arms.

"Follow me" she said leading them down a long hallway she opened the door and ushered the two of them inside. Sirius quickly muttered a privacy spell and sat down on the bed next to his rather disorientated ex-friend. He touched the other man's arm and quietly said,

"Remus, you need to focus you need to remember what happened." His eyes suddenly lost their glazed look and they narrowed at Sirius.

"It is you," he growled.

"Now Lupin be reasonable here I could have wiped you're memories and took off on my merry way. I could have killed you too. I clearly have the upper hand here so your going to sit down shut up and let me talk."

"The hell I will." Sirius was beginning to grow impatient, if Remus was content to believe he was a death eater then he was going to give him one. He put Harry down on the floor ushering him to go play.

" I suggest you do, that is if you ever want to see Harry again" his voice dropping dangerously low.

"He's alive then?"

"Yup and safely hidden, neither you or Dumbledore will ever get your hands on him,"

"All I want to know is why?"

"What makes you so sure I did? I know Patrick told you that the compound doesn't let those in with ill intentions or evil in their hearts. No follower of Voldemort could ever step foot here."

"You must have tricked it somehow," muttered Remus.

"Lupin you giant prick you've known me since I was eleven years old when have I ever been capable of hiding my feelings."

"You were capable of hiding the fact that you were a death eater why not this?"

"Thats it," he growled as he grabbed Remus by the scruff of the neck.

"I was going to try to give you the benefit of the doubt here and break this gently to you, but you really are a fucking idiot. I have never will never and would never work for Lord Voldemort. I would have rather died then betray James and you know it. But, no its much more comfortable to believe that the Black did it then to ruin your blissful ignorance that Pettigrew might have been more then you thought he was. I haven't had that privilege, Lupin to hide behind the fact of blood I had to face my mistakes head-on."

"What are you on about!?"

"What do you think? I wasn't James and Lily's Secret Keeper we switched at the last moment to Peter. Thought it was the perfect plan, too foolish to realize that a friends loyalty was up to the highest bidder."

"That can't be … not Peter you liar" Remus stammered quietly.

"Thats obviously how he planned it poor Peter couldn't hurt a fly and next to a Black who would suspect him. People wanted to see me fail wanted to prove that evil is in the blood," finished Sirius glaring.

" It can't be!"

"Use that brain of yours Lupin explain to me why the night James and Lily died Pettigrew just drops of the face of the earth. Think about it I bet in the weeks leading up to Halloween he started mentioning suspecting I was the spy right." He saw Remus' eyes lower in a silent acknowledgment.

"Thought so said the same thing about you. He planned everything leaving me to take the fall, but Voldemort met his downfall at the Potters and when I took of with Harry. I suspect he went into hiding. Fearful of the day I decide to exact my revenge. If it weren't for Harry here he said motioning to Julian I would have killed him already." Remus could see the anger and pain in his former friend's eyes and he knew.

"I believe you," he said quietly.

"You do?"

"Yeah" he said rubbing his temple. "If Julian is Harry I suspect had you been the traitor he would be dead by now."

"But, I don't understand why you just didn't go to Dumbledore. He would have heard you out if you took down your mental wards he would believe you."

"I will never let that man into my head,"

"Not even to prove your innocence?"

"No, he was going to send Harry to live with Lily's sister. He's perpetuating the myth that I was Voldemort's right-hand man when their is no evidence to support that. The more I look back on the decision that man has made the more I distrust him."

"Sirius"

"No, Remus you don't understand. Have you ever put any thought into why Harry survived that night?"

"No not really I guess, why?"

" It was Blood magic. Lily sacrificed herself to the rights of blood to save her son. About a month before they went into hiding Lily came asking me if I had any books on Blood Rights. I didn't even think about it then, but how the hell did Lily know about Blood Rights?"

"I suppose she read it in a book somewhere," Remus said scratching his head he knew next to nothing about the Blood Rights and the magic surrounding it.

"Where all books with even the slightest mention of Blood Rights were destroyed when it was outlawed in the 15th century. The only one in existence was in my parent's library leave it to the Black's to save outlawed magic. I accidentally grabbed it when I ran away my mother must have been reading it and I got it mixed up with my school books."

"I don't understand why it was outlawed, if its a child protection spell."

"Its what it requires it takes the sacrifice of the maternal line. Worse is that they have to die screaming. Had Lily been from a family of witches her sacrifice would have meant noting. It used to be base magic taught to all witches before they got married but then old families started hiring freelance hit wizards to attack the heir when only the mothers and grandmothers were home. They would do the noble thing and offer themselves up and entire maternal lines were wiped out to protect the heir. It was outlawed to protect witches, and preserve maternal magic."

"Wow, but then how did she find out."

"She asked me about it just after a meeting with Dumbledore on the measures for Harry's protection."

"You can't be sure,"

"Yes, I can the fact that he was sending Harry to his aunt. You were next in line after me and if you couldn't James' godmother's family were supposed to take him. I checked their alive and well living in Bristol. The only reasons for Harry to be placed with Petunia was to satisfy the blood magic Petunia was in the will only as a last resort. Dumbledore is attempting to create a little solider he can use to destroy Voldemort if and when he returns."

"My God,"

"I'm not letting him turn Harry into some kind of sacrificial lamb. That isn't what Lily meant by her sacrifice."

"And if Voldemort does come after Harry like the prophecy said?"

"He'll have me to deal with. Why do you think I've been here so long it only takes a month here to set our new identities. Voldemort may be powerful but even he can't mess with the forces of Nature. I intend to learn as much as I can about Natural Magic, then Harry and I are going into hiding. I'll prepare him to the best of my ability but if I have my way Voldemort will be destroyed before Harry is of age. I'm not letting a stupid prophecy decide his future."

"Do you have a choice though?"

"The ancients didn't believe in a definitive future. They believed divination could only tell you a possible outcome. It is our choices that decide where we will go not prophecies the future is not set."

"I want to help if you'll let me."

"You'll betray Dumbledore like that, if I'm not working with him I'm his enemy you realize."

"I will always appreciate what Dumbledore has given me but if its a choice between him and a fellow marauder. I decided along time ago I would always choose a marauder. Its nice to know your on the right side Sirius."

"Alright you can join us but I have one condition."

"And that is,"

"You start training harder I can't be saving your ass every time we go up against death eaters," Sirius grinned mischievously.

"Oh Padfoot you great Prick!" Remus laughed.

"Jules I want you to come over and meet someone. Jules this is Remus," Harry eyed the man suspiciously. "Its okay Jules he's a friend,"

"Hi there Jules," Remus said smiling

"Hi emus"

"Close enough" he laughed.

"Pa, what fuck mean?" asked Harry.

"Your lucky Lily isn't here mate" laughed Remus.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15

_A/n: Harry Potter was created by J.K. Rowling I am just a fanfic writer. _

As Sirius opened the door of the healer's hut he breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't ready to leave the safety of the compound just yet. Here they were safe and loved. Sirius didn't know how he would have survived the first few months of parenthood had he not been surrounded by this marvellous support system. Had it not been for Kathleen especially, Sirius thinks he would have broken down. He felt slightly bad that he was more thankful for that then Remus' support. But, he couldn't help months of bitter thoughts against his old friend had more then tarnished their relationship. It could still be mended he thought but it would take work on both of their parts to gain the trust they had lost.

He put Harry down and allowed the child to walk next to him when the sky let loose. The first true rain of the year all others had been magically created. He scooped Harry back up and ran to their trailer as fast as he could. He got them both changed out of their wet clothes and laid Harry down for a nap. He started folding some clothes when he heard a quiet knock at the door. He opened the door to see Calist holding a sleepy Judith and a large umbrella.

"Come on in what's got you out in this rain?" he asked ushering them inside.

"Turns out our trailer has a leak. I'm useless at handyman spells I can summon fire sure repair a leak. I managed to put a repellent spell on everything but I wasn't really fond of sitting in a leaky trailer."

"I could use the company why don't you lay Judith down next to Jules, I'll make us some tea."

She slid Judith into the bed and sat down at the kitchen table. He handed her a cup of warm tea and sat down across from her.

"You did well in today's match blew everyone away. I've never seen anything like that wall of fire."

"Ah just a few tricks I picked up in France that and I was prankster in my youth. Me and my friends would spend hours trying to figure out cool ways to manipulate magic."

"Did you got to Beauxbatons then? I always dreamed of going to a big magical school thought it was quiet glamorous," she laughed her melody like laugh.

"Not quiet so glamorous as learning Natural Magic hidden away in an enchanted forest. If I had known about this place in my youth I would have dreamt about it."

"Well the grass is always greener on the other side isn't it" she laughed and turned around to check on Judith sleeping soundly, Harry in his sleep had thrown an arm protectively around her.

"I've never thanked you for all you've done for Judith," she said turning back to face him.

" I don't think I've done anything,"

"You have you know you have. I can see it in your eyes the you know about our past," she said hesitently.

"Look Calist you don't have to open up about your past I'm the last person who would force you too,"

"I know, but you've made her trust men again. The others they are kind to her but you, you've gone the extra mile and I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it."

The next day Remus was released and Sirius invited him to sit with his group while they watched Calist's match. The group wasn't to thrilled with the whole idea at first but once Sirius had said it was okay they welcomed him into the group like nothing had happened. Slowly but surely Remus integrated into the group and everyone relaxed around him. The competition finished in late April and everyone finished well. Sirius surprised himself and finished fourth overall. Calist had finished 5th. With Kathleen, Brawin and Aatos finishing 8th, 9th and 10th respectively. Remus had finished in 18th. It was a solid finish considering he had only been practicing for a month before the competition. Even better considering his inability to accept the wolf was greatly hindering his magical ability. Before he knew it, it was time for Harry's pretend 2nd birthday June 28th. Kathleen had planned a big birthday and Harry got loads of presents. She had even made a cake in the shape of a broomstick that Harry loved.

The next day the kids who had all passed their 2nd Birthday were going to choose their element. Sirius was shocked that they tested so young. But, Patrick assured them the sooner they know the better they get at controlling their magic. Remus sat at the table alone as each parent got up to take their children to the child's ceremony was much simpler instead of chanting they were given a potion that put them in a trance whichever element reacted first was there's. Aedan took after his father shooting a stream of water off, Bjorn took earth, Judith was fire just like her mother. When Harry's turn came up Sirius held his breath he had no idea what to expect. Harry took the potion and as soon as his eyes glazed over a huge gust of wind blasted through the room. Air Harry was an air element. When they all returned to their seats and Remus leaned over to whispered "Figures."

Sirius gave Remus a questioning look.

"What was his father's strongest talent idiot."

Sirius shook his head in a silent chuckle "flying"

"Exactly"

The next day Patrick came to see if Sirius and Harry wanted to go into town to do some shopping. Sirius agreed and followed Patrick the the bus stop where everyone else already was. Sirius, Harry, and Remus sat together. While Calist, Judith and Kathleen sat in front. Once they got to the small town Calist and Judith started walking off somewhere.

"Hey Calist where do you think your heading off too, with my favourite little girl." Calist turned around giving him a smirk "to get your favourite little girl some new clothes,"

"Judith would you rather go get clothes or come to the toy store with Jules and me?"

Judith broke into a huge smile "TOYS!" Calist shook her head and followed them over to the toy store. Judith ran to the aisle with the dolls while Harry headed off to the train sets. They each picked their favourite toy and Sirius bought them for them.

"What do you say Judith?"

"Thank-you Tavian?"

" No problem sweetheart," the little girl ran up to Sirius wrapping her arms around him. He could see the tears start to well up in Calist's eyes.

" You didn't have to that you know," she said quietly as they walked to over to the restaurant for something to eat.

"I know but I wanted to she's a sweet little girl,"

They sat around the table eating their quiet meal. Calist was gazing out the window when her eyes got large.

"What's a matter?" Sirius asked quickly.

"I just saw my ex-husband out there. Oh shit we have to get out of here."

"Judith's father?"

"Yeah"

"Okay I'll get the bill we'll sneak out the back. He can't get to you at the compound." she pulled Judith into her lap wrapping her arms protectively around her and nodded."

_A/n: Not terribly original but it leads to something big for our hero so bare with me. And no I don't mean a romance as I've said before that is not the focus of this story. _


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 16

_A/n: Do I really have to tell you I'm not JKR and I do not own Harry Potter? I thought it was quiet clear. ;) This one went up ridiculously fast but the last chapter was really just filler so I thought I should give you a little more. _

Sirius quickly waved the waitress down and paid they then snuck out the back door of the restaurant. Sirius gave Remus a pointed look.

"Can you send a message to the others?" Remus nodded an summoned a Patronus sending the message to the others. They met the others just outside of town. The others quickly guessed what was going on from the message. Sirius guessed that they weren't as in the dark about Calist's and Judith's situation as he thought. Kathleen threw a protective arm around her as they started to walk towards the woods. But, then Sirius heard a sound and a quiet mutter.

"Everybody down," he yelled just as a jet of green light shot at them. Sirius didn't have time to think of using his fake accent the next second he was back on his feet yelling at the others to get into position. The auror in him took over telling Calist and Kathleen to

"Take the kids and run!" they took off. As soon as they moved another jet of green light shot towards Judith. Kathleen raised the ground in front of the child just in time to block the curse. Sirius was flanked by the other men. He gave Remus and Brawin a look and they summoned fog to hide the girls as they ran. He could feel the magic humming around him.

"Come out and face us you coward!" yelled Sirius no trace of the French accent could be found. Brawin and Aatos shared a look but Sirius didn't notice.

"It is none of your business they are my wife and child,"

"Its our business if your trying to kill them!" yelled Brawin anger evident in his voice.

"I suggest you come out before we make you!" yelled Aatos.

"I would like to see you try!" the voice yelled back. Remus gave Sirius a pointed look. He dropped into a duelling crouch sending a wall of fire smaller then the one he used on Remus straight at the sound of the voice. They heard a yelp as a tall lanky man with tanned skin and curly brown hair stepped into view trying to put out the fire that has caught on his pants leg. He managed to put it out. "If you don't let me have them I will kill every last one of your children!" he yelled angrily.

Sirius could feel the magic well-up inside of him he was angry. How dare this man hurt his own child, how dare this man come here, and how dare he threaten Harry. Before they realized it four jets of green light shot their way. "Duck!" yelled Remus and they all hit the ground. Think he thought to himself their are four of us and only one of him. But, he has cover they don't.

"Remus remember that time in 5th year" he whispered. "When we found that hallucination spell in the restricted section?"

"Yeah, what about it," Remus whispered back.

"I suggest we use it to scare the living daylights out of this idiot. I'm thinking a dragon."

"We couldn't even get it to work with regular magic how are we supposed to do it without wands,"

"Come on Remus you just need to let the wolf in. Harry is part of your pack are we going to let him threaten our pack!" Remus could feel the wolf well up inside of him at the mention of a pack.

"Use the wolf Remus, you can control it. Wolves are pack animals Remus use Harry it wants to protect him. Patrick says that there is a fifth element, one that controls all others love. Concentrate on that and we can do this!"

"Okay!"

"Remus and I know a spell. Its non-verbal and we don't have time to show you we just need you to send your power out to make it stronger." Sirius whispered to the others they nodded.

"Okay, on the count of three we all stand up and go!"

"One,"

"Two," he breathed heavily.

"Three,"

They all stood up and the four of them sent out jets of their element and they whirled together until they formed the shape of a dragon that headed straight for their opponent. But, something was strange. It was just supposed to be a hallucination but they could feel the wind beat back from the wings. It was solid! The dragon landed in front of the man and they could see him trembling in fear. The dragon leaned down and swallowed him whole and then disappeared. They searched the place where the man had been standing. But, there was no sign of him. And there was scorch marks where the dragon had stood.

"What the hell just happened!" yelled Remus.

"I don't know thats not possible," said Sirius rubbing his temple.

Just then Patrick started walking toward them.

"Nice job my boys! I told you the most powerful element is love. Love can break even the bounds of nature. You meant to send a hallucination of a dragon right?"

"Yeah," said Remus confusedly.

"Instead you managed to summon a real dragon. I've never seen anything quiet like it. Its been written about but I've never actually seen it."

"We summoned a dragon a tea live dragon!" said Aatos turning slightly pale.

"Then why did it disappear after?" Sirius asked.

"You can only break magical law for so long, the strength of what you wanted to protect your children and your friend allowed you to break through but it could only hold for a moment."

They headed back to the compound silently. As soon as they reached the barriers the children came running. "PA! Jules scared. Where Pa go!"

"It's alright Jules, I'm here now. I'm here."

"I'm so sorry," said Calist tears streaming down her face. "I've put you all at risk. I should go."

"No ones at risk anymore your husband is dead."

"You you killed him?"

Sirius nodded and she shrank down to the grass. "It's over it's really over she said quietly."

"That's why you came back isn't it. To get away from your ex?" asked Kathleen deep sympathy in her eyes.

"Yeah, I stupidly tried to rationalize it when it was me but the day he turned on Judith I knew we had to get out of there."

"Calist isn't the only one who owes us an explanation. Tave mind explaining why you lost your accent for about twenty minutes back there?" said Brawin. Sirius took a deep breath and opened his mouth to explain but, was interrupted by Patrick.

"Before, I let Tavain explain I want you all to know I have complete faith in him. He would have never stepped foot on the compound if his heart wasn't true. It has a magic all its own it knows whats in people's hearts."

"You know who I am don't you?" Sirius asked. Patrick nodded,

"I need to know who's on the property part of the perks of being me!"

" My name is not Octavian Black. My name is Sirius Black."

"Your the convict Remus and that old man were looking for aren't you,"

"Well technically I'm not a convict if i've never been convicted but yea! Remus was an old friend of mine he figured it out after our battle. I explained what happened and he believed me."

"I'm not a dark wizard and I've never worked for Voldemort. But, I am guilty of one of the things they are hunting me for. I did kidnap Harry Potter."

"You kidnapped the Boy Who Lived?" gasped Kathleen.

"Harry is Julius' real name, what those wanted posters don't say is that his father was my best friend and I was named Harry's legal guardian."

"If your innocent why didn't you just go the authorities?" asked Aatos.

"Because, there is man with a great deal of influence in England who has his own plans for Harry. He wanted to send him to live with his mother's relatives who hate magic. Having me out of the way would greatly benefit him. Harry means the world to me and I would do anything to protect him."

"I believe you it doesn't take a seer to see you love that little boy. You've been nothing but a friend to us and I trusted you with my life before. I pride myself on judging people for who they are not who other people say they are. If you ask me all thats changed is your name and your nationality ." smiled Kathleen. He mouthed a thank-you too her she smiled back even wider.

"My wife's always been a much better judge in character then I, if she trusts you I do too." said Brawin.

" I owe you my life, of course I trust you," smiled Calist quietly.

"Your my friend," was all Aatos said but Sirius knew how much it meant.

"Thank you."

_A/n: Well the secrets out sort of. The compound being magical itself is kind of contrived I know but it just makes it simpler for everyone to believe him. Had the compound not been like that I don't think they would have been so quick to believe Sirius but seeing as Hogwarts had magical properties I thought why not the compound. The whole love thing powering more powerful magic comes from the fact that it being the power "Lord Voldemort knows not!" I thought it fit with the overall tone of the books. But this whole dragon thing felt a little too much but I wanted to show how much power love really has. But in the end I decided that if love can defeat Voldemort it can summon a dragon. _


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17

_A/n: I am not the owner of Harry Potter nor do I own anything affiliated with it._

After the big reveal everything settled pretty quickly. The group continued to call Sirius and Harry by their new identities to keep up the facade. In away it had been a relief to finally get the truth off his chest, and the fact that his new friends were still by his side was the best feeling in the world. He knew he would never be able to fill the special place in his heart that James and Lily had held, but his heart had gotten bigger. As it expanded to let more people in the hole that James and Lily left became easier to deal with. Would he ever be truly over their deaths and the role he played in it, no, but he could go on. And going on is the exact thing he knew James and Lily would have wanted for him.

His relationship with Remus was slowly mending as well. They bonded over the shared grief and the shared initiative of giving Harry the best life he possibly could. It was mid July and absolutely beautiful out. They had been lucky this year the weather had been unusually nice. Remus was over for tea and the two old friends were reminiscing about their days at Hogwarts. Sirius gazed out the window absentmindedly.

" I think it's time to leave," he said.

"What already you haven't even been here a year. It's safe here Sirius."

"I know thats why we have to leave. If I stay hidden here it seems I'm hiding something. If I venture out in the world people might think I have nothing to hide."

"I doubt it thats the way you think Sirius, Dumbledore isn't going to be fooled by the oldest trick in the book."

" I know but it might buy us some time. The longer I hide the longer he has to figure out a way around our disguise. Yes Natural Magic makes it more difficult for him to prove my identity but it doesn't mean he can't find away around it. We need a plan but we can't form what hiding away like this. Our best bet is probably to call in the old Black family alliances."

"Tavian would be the next to inherit. He beats out Narcissa because he's male."

"Exactly, I say we find a small little house in some Wizarding community and covertly start calling in some favours. I might not be able to beat Dumbledore as Sirius Black but I sure as hell can as Lord Black."

"You are going to take the title then. You swore you never would!"

"I did when I was young and naive. Now I know the best way to make my parents role in their graves is to the situate the House of Black firmly on the side of the light. Not to mention the Head of the House of Black is head of the pureblood alliance above even the House of Slytherine."

"No way!"

"People forget because the impact Hogwarts had but the Pureblood alliance was firmly intact before Slytherine came onto the scene. It was a rather new house then. The Blacks have been running Magical Britain since before Merlin."

"When they say ancient they really mean it don't they."

"Precisely becoming Lord Black if done right can derail both Dumbledore and Voldemort."

"Wow you've given this a lot of thought."

"I have which is why I know I need you with me. This is both of our fight we need each other."

"You really want me to come with you?"

"You said you wanted to be a part of Harry's life kind of hard when you don't come with us."

"Thank you Sirius!"

"Don't mention it,"

At that moment the door swung open revealing Calist, Harry, and Judith with big grins on their faces. "Are you two going to stop being boring and old, come out and join the celebration!"

"Come on Pa, Emus come!" squealed Harry.

"Come Tavey, emus!" mimicked Judith.

"Alright were coming," Sirius said pretending to groan. Mid July was another big celebration for the compound. This weekend their was a live band, dancing, and various games for the kids. Sirius hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to Calist since that day in town. Today she was wearing a red sundress instead of the usual blue robes. She looked stunning. They met up with the group and sat down to have a couple drinks. Soon Calist got up and asked Harry if he would dance with her. The little boy nodded enthusiastically as Calist spun him around on the dance floor. Judith looked out on the dance floor where other little girls were dancing with their dads longingly.

"Judith would you like to dance with me?"

"Yes please Tavey!" he scooped her up and took her out onto the dance floor. She giggled clearly loving the moment. When the song ended Harry looked over at the two of them and asked,

"Judy dance with Jules?"

"Oh yay!" cried Judith who linked hands with Harry as the spun around in circles. The two adults laughed.

"Looks like we got ditched," said Calist pretending to pout.

"Might as well make the most of it," he said grabbing her hand and twirling her around.

"Your good at this," she commented.

"Years of lessons, how you doing?"

"Good as can be expected I guess, you?"

"Remus and I are heading out, going to get a house somewhere in England."

"Already?"

"I think it's time, but I wanted to know if you'd like to come with us? Now that your ex is out of the picture you deserve a fresh start. We're all so use to the safety of the compound being alone just doesn't feel right. Plus despite their being two of us Remus and I know little about parenting. I've relied on Kathleen too much since I've been here. If he gets sick or something it would be nice to have someone who knows what they are doing."

"You don't have to pretend I'm doing you a favour you know, I know your just worried about me. Everyone is eventually going to leave the compound and you don't want me to be alone," she smiled.

"Yes, but I meant what I said its a mutual relationship. You get company I get help with Harry. Come on what do you say? Whats here for you after everyone's gone except the safety of the familiar, it would be good for you and good for Judith to move on with your lives."

"Okay!"

"Really, you'll come?"

"Yeah your right we can go now and we should it would be good for us,"

"Great let's go tell everyone," the scooped up the kids and headed back to the table. Sirius grabbed his glass " I would like to propose a toast; To good friends, good times, and new beginnings!" Everyone clinked their glasses. "I just wanted to thank everyone for all you've given me I don't know if I would have survived the last eight months without all of you. But, its time I think for me and Jules to head out. But, before you worry your pretty little heads I've enlisted Remus and Calist to come take care of me," he laughed.

"I want you to know you guys are like family to me and I intend to keep in touch with all of you."

"We should all get together for Christmas and Birthday's" said Kathleen blinking the tears out of her eyes she had known this was coming but she'd miss them.

"We look foreword to it," smiled Sirius.

"I don't think we'll be here for too much longer either," said Brawin putting an arm around his wife.

"Me either," smiled Aatos as he mussed up Bjorn's hair.

"Did I hear that right!" yelled Patrick "My most promising students are leaving? I hope you continue to develop your magic."

"I don't think I could go back to regular magic, Natural Magic's such a high." smiled Sirius.

"That a boy, and make sure you bring the kids to see me when their older." he said.

"Don't worry we will," smiled Brawin.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 18

_A/n: I am not JKR nor have I ever claimed to be._

Remus awoke to the sound of his alarm clock. He looked at the clock it was 4: 30 a.m. He groaned loudly. They were currently staying in a hotel in Surrey and he had to get up early in order to avoid suspicion. He had agreed to meet Dumbledore at a coffee shop in London to discuss what he had discovered. He felt guilty extremely guilt though he couldn't figure out why. Dumbledore had given him everything and he had assured him Sirius had been the Potters' Secret Keeper. The audacity Sirius had to try and place the blame on Peter made him extremely angry. But, he had managed to keep his cool. He had made the conscious decision to pretend to believe Sirius' lies in order to be able to keep a closer eye on his old friend. Had he not done it Sirius would have taken off and who knows when they would find him again.

He had a quick shower and got dressed. But, he still couldn't shake the feeling that what he was doing was wrong. He had told Sirius that he had an early meeting with the Werewolf registry, he knew if he came face to face with him he wouldn't be able to lie. He shook his head and apparated to an alley near the coffee shop he was supposed to meet Dumbledore at. He checked his watch 5:00 a.m. right on the dot. He walked through the door and looked around the shop. It was almost completely empty save for the Headmaster sitting at a small table in the coroner.

"How on earth did you find something open this early Albus?"

"Its right next to a mill they get lots of people in coming off night shift."

"Ah!" said Remus.

"So, what have you managed to find out my boy?" Remus took a deep breath and said,

"You were right Headmaster Tavian Black is Sirius in disguise. We had an altercation when I figured it out and he told me some crackpot story about Peter being the Secret Keeper. I have to admit if I didn't know you knew of his being named Secret Keeper I would have believed him."

"And what of Harry?"

"He won't tell me," Remus lies. He has no idea why he does it but he does.

"What of his son where did he come from?"

"He claims Julius is the product of a one-night stand with some french witch. He was in France on a mission just before Lily became pregnant. It makes sense."

"I thought for sure, oh well. I guess our search for young Mr. Potter continues. Are you willing to continue spying?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good then I'll be off. Keep in touch Remus," Dumbledore said making his way to stand up but Remus suddenly remembered something.

"Professor, do you know how Harry survived that night?"

"It was Lily's sacrifice. Her sacrifice made for the love of her child protected him. It was that decision that made all the difference in the world. I know its hard to fantom after such a loss, but should Harry still be alive Lily's death served the greater good," he said placing what would have been a comforting hand on Remus' shoulder. But, his words were anything but comforting to Remus. That phrase "greater good" rang through his mind again and again. He was suddenly relieved that he hadn't told Dumbledore of Julius Black's true identity. Something wasn't right here and he was determined to find out what.

"Professor, do you have any idea about Peter's location? I think he would like to help bring Black down but I have no idea of where he is."

" I will see what I can do Remus, I suspect the loss of his friends was to much to bear. But, I think it would be good for the both of you to grieve together."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Don't mention it my boy," as he got up to leave the compound. Albus was starting to feel extremely guilty. The boy trusted him so much and he just betrayed that trust. He didn't know for sure that Sirius had been the Potter's secret keeper. But, he was almost positive who else would they have selected? He found the idea of them selecting Pettigrew highly unlikely, he supposed it was possible. If he was being honest with himself he considered Black's innocence or guilt to really be just semanitcs. What really mattered was placing Harry in a position to be able to defeat Lord Voldemort at any and all costs. Was is a harsh method? Yes, but the countless lives that would be saved more then made up for it.

None of this felt right. Remus wasn't sure who to trust he could feel his loyalties being pulled both ways. Part of him wanted to believe Sirius and he couldn't lie Harry seemed incredibly happy with his Godfather. But, the other part was still so suspicious of his old friend. So, Remus went to the only person he could go Mad-eye Moody. Moody had retired after the war, and was a close friend of the headmaster. But, he was a suspicious old codger and at one time a mentor to one Sirius Black. Moody currently lived in a small cottage on the outskirts of London and Remus apparated to the dirt road just off the main drag. He walked up to the door took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming" growled a voice from inside.

"Lupin what on earth are you doing out here?"

"I need your help," replied Remus not surprised that Mad-eyes magical eye had seen him through the door.

"Come in then, come in," growled Moody as he opened the door ushering Remus inside.

"I suppose you want help going after Black then?"

"No, I know where Sirius is, I need your help verifying some facts."

"You know where Black is and you haven't alerted the authorities?" Moody asked incredulously.

"Dumbledore knows he's chosen to keep it a secret."

"Albus is a good man, but he tends to keep things to himself for far too long."

"Black claims he wasn't the Potter's Secret Keeper and he said a few things too close for comfort. Dumbledore assures me he knew Sirius was Secret Keeper but I've become privy to a few things he's been keeping from me."

"And that would be?"

" The reason Harry survived was because Lily sacrificed herself to the Blood Rights."

" Blood Magic! Where would a muggleborn witch even learn something like that?"

"According to Sirius she came asking him about it after a meeting with Dumbledore."

" It would make sense, the Blacks' own the only book on Blood Magic in existence."

"Exactly! And when I asked Dumbledore about it he said that it was Lily's sacrifice that saved Harry."

"Typical Albus telling people the basics without giving away every detail," laughed Moody.

"Why would Sirius give Lily a book that could save Harry if he gave them over to his master?"

"That's the question isn't it?"

"Is there away to prove who the Secret Keeper was?"

" Depends,"

"On what?"

"If the Potter's were smart enough to leave a paper trail."

_A/n: Didn't see that one coming did you lol, let me pretend I'm more clever then I actually am. So, Remus isn't quiet won over yet but fear not Moody is on the trail. Up next Remus goes to Gringotts and learns some surprising information, which may answer some questions you have regarding this chapter. We see some good family time between our favourite boys, and a dirty rat might just make an appearance. _


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 19

_A/n: If you are under the impression that I own anything Harry Potter, you are sadly mistaken._

Sirius awoke to a slight knock on his door. He got out of bed pulling on a pair of jeans opening the door to reveal Calist and Judith. She was wearing jeans and a t-shit her, her hair was set in waves.

"Come on sleepy head wake Jules up and lets go to the zoo."

"Alright alright give us 10 minutes," Sirius yawned.

He pulled on a shirt and gently woke Harry. He got the little boy dressed and put a comb through both of their hair. He took a side-ways look into the mirror and noticed he had become broader during his stay at the compound. He had always been pretty muscular, but during the first war life was hectic. He hadn't eaten regularly and was always off fighting. He had lost some of the muscle mass he had once had. At the compound he had been eating regular meals and he was always active with the grounds crew. It had resulted in him gaining a good chunk of muscle.

He opened up the door to reveal Calist leaning casually against the wall with Judith sitting at her feet looking as if she was minutes from falling asleep. "You called us sleepy heads," he said motioning to Judith. Calist threw him a mischievous smirk. Harry never liked to get up, but was a bubble of energy as soon as he did wake-up fully.

"Come Judy, come!" Harry said pulling gently on Judith's arm.

"No, Jules Judy tired,"

"Come on kiddo let's go to the zoo," Sirius said scooping the little girl up into his arms. Judith's eyes grew wide at the mention of the zoo, and soon she was just as awake as Harry. The zoo wasn't far from their hotel so they decided to walk. Each adult had latched onto the hand of their respective child who then locked hands with each other. It made Sirius happy to see that the two kids had become so close.

Meanwhile back in London a very nervous Remus Lupin was heading to Gringotts Bank with one Alastor Moody. Remus wasn't sure what he wanted to come out of this trip. Part of him wanted his old friend back, but the other didn't want to face the mistake he might have made. If Sirius was guilty Dumbledore would forgive him for wanting to see the best in his friend. He would say it was only human. If Sirius was innocent though he doubted his old friend would be so forgiving.

"Come on Lupin, I haven't got all day," growled Moody as he swung open the large door of the bank. Remus rushed in after him. Moody went up to the first teller, " I need to speak with Ragnock, it is a matter of utmost importance," Remus didn't recognize the name. To be honest though the only goblin who's name he knew was Griphook.

"Follow me please," said the goblin as they followed him to a back set of offices Remus didn't even know existed.

"Who's Ragnock?" whispered Remus.

"He's the goblin in charge of the Potter family vault," Moody whispered back.

"Ah!"

They were ushered into a small room with comfy chairs and a desk. The goblin told them that Ragnock was on his way.

"What can I do for you Auror Moody?" asked a goblin dressed in fine clothing. Remus assumed that this was Ragnock.

"I have some business to attend to. I need access to something in the Potter vault."

"That isn't possible, only a Potter can access that vault," stated the goblin but his interest was peeked. "Then could you possibly tell me if the Potter's left a document detailing the details of the Fidelius Charm performed on them before they died?"

" Of course they did, are you suggesting that we goblins would not have insisted on such protocol?" growled the goblin.

"Nothing of the sort. I was under the impression that Gringotts suggested its members provide documentation so that if they are betrayed their gold doesn't go to the one responsible. But, I was looking over the Potter case and no one seems to have checked to make sure Black was responsible. Everyone just assumed."

"I'll call for one of our runners to fetch the document from the Potter's safety deposit box. We don't keep them in the actual vault just in case."

"Thank you Ragnock."

"Don't thank me, I'm not doing this for you. If Black is innocent Gringotts gets one of its if not the wealthiest clients back." After about five minutes a young goblin came running into the room document in hand. Ragnock took out a monocle and flipped through the documents. He looked up grin evident on his face.

"It would appear that Mr. Black was not the Potter's Secret Keeper."

"Then who was!" growled Moody.

"Peter Pettigrew!" Remus felt like he might faint. Sirius was telling the truth, and he had just betrayed him. How could he have been so stupid. Moody took note of Remus' shaking hands, he threw a hand on Remus' shoulder and thanked the goblin.

"Come on Lupin we've got to get going."

"He's never going to forgive me," Remus muttered quietly.

"Maybe not but that doesn't change what you have to do," was Moody's reply.

"What?!" asked Remus desperately.

"Right the wrong, you can't change what you did. And you can't change how he feels about it but you can make sure that you at least attempt to undo some of the damage you did."

" I don't know if I can."

" I've never thought of you as a coward until now Lupin! This isn't about what you can do it is what you have to do. I will never understand why people think they can call themselves brave when they run into battle but don't have enough guts to live their actual life. Bravery is accepting the consequences of your actions! Bravery is living with the hand you've been given, not hiding away from actually having to make decisions!" growled Moody.

Back at the zoo the group of four were wandering around looking into the various enclosures. They walked by one when Harry stopped dead in his tracks. Sirius looks down at him "What's up Jules?"

"Pa look Pongs!" Harry said pointing into the enclosure "Pongs" thought Sirius. But, as he looked deep into the enclosure there stood a majestic stag. He smiled to himself and thought "See James your in there still somewhere."

"Your right Jules that looks just like your Pongs!" smiled Sirius.

They continued to walk around the zoo looking in on all the various animals. Harry's favourite were the stags while Judith loved the tigers. The children had a great time but soon they needed a nap. Calist took Judith with her to the bathroom while Harry and Sirius sat on a bench waiting for them. Harry was dead tired and was quickly falling asleep on Sirius' lap. He let out a big yawn and looked up at Sirius and said "Jules loves you Pa" before falling asleep on Sirius' shoulder. If you had asked Sirius two years ago if he would ever have children his answer would have been a resounding no. But, raising Harry the last couple months had made him see why James had been so ecstatic by the notion of fatherhood. Sirius had loved the little boy since he had first held him, but now he couldn't think of anything or anyone that meant more to him in the world.

Albus Dumbledore had just received an urgent fire call from one Remus Lupin. He said he had something big to tell him. Albus pretty much had to sit on his hands to keep himself from shaking. Had Remus finally found Harry, would he finally be able to stop worrying about the future? He saw the flames flare up in the fire place and out-stepped a dishevelled Remus Lupin and a very grumpy looking Alastor.

" What's happened Remus is it Harry?"

"You lied to me Professor!" Remus glared at him accusingly.

" About what?" he decided feigning ignorance was the best approach.

"You told me you KNEW Sirius was the Secret Keeper!"

"Now, Remus I know you want to believe your friend but!"

"Albus, I've always had great respect for you but this is too much!" growled Moody.

"You weren't there when the Potters invoked the charm were you?"

"No, I was not but James assured me that they chose Sirius."

"So, you did lie you let me believe you were there!"

"Remus,"

"NO! He wasn't their Secret Keeper, Peter was its all here," Remus yelled throwing the document down in front of Dumbledore. Albus sighed " Well it looks like I was wrong," he admitted.

"So, your going to call off the manhunt?"

"I can't do that, Sirius may be innocent but he's deliberately keeping Harry from me and I can't allow that to happen."

"Albus you can't be serious here, Black is innocent which means he is the child's guardian," Moody stated firmly.

"Which would be fine if Harry Potter were a normal boy, but he's the one destined to be the Dark Lord's downfall. This needs to be handled delicately and I am the only one with the knowledge to,"

" Sirius was right you did tell Lily about the Blood Rights didn't you. You've set this whole thing up from the beginning! Oh god what have I done, your planning on raising him like a pig to slaughter!" Remus yelled his heart pounding.

" Now, Remus sometimes certain sacrifices need to be made for the greater good!"

"God I can't believe this!"

_A/N: Wow you guys really don't like Remus lol. Good you shouldn't like him right now. I really wanted to show the other side of Remus that is strongly hinted at in the books but tends to get completely washed over in fan fiction. Remus is way more complex then the nice guy with the rough life. I don't think he's a horrible person just flawed like everyone of JK's characters. If you look at Moody's reaction to Remus in this whole thing that is pretty much how I feel about him. Thanks for the reviews I love you guys!_


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 20

_A/n: I am but a aspiring writer playing in the world created and owned by JKR!_

Remus was furious! Furious at himself for the horrible mistake he made, and furious at Dumbledore for playing puppet master. Moody had left mid-way into the conversation in a huff. The older auror may be a friend of Dumbledore's but he was perfectly capable of disagreeing with him. Remus couldn't get the old codger's voice out of his head. "You need to right the wrong Lupin!" He took a deep breath and apparated back to the hotel in Surrey. He stayed in his room for about an hour trying to come up with how he was going to tell Sirius. His friend terrified him. He was scared of Sirius! Scared of his temper, scared of his power, but mostly he was scared to lose him. Oh why couldn't he just believed him in the first place! But, soon he was knocked out of his head by the sound of someone at the door.

"Hey Moony you in there?" yelled Sirius from the hallway.

"Yeah one moment!" he yelled back running a hand through his hair. A nervous habit they had all picked up from James.

"You look worse for wear, rough meeting?"

"Your disguise is no longer good Sirius, Dumbledore knows who you are!" he choked. He thought if he could get it all out he might be able to relax.

"What! How?"

"I told him," Remus said looking down ashamed.

"How could you if he catches us! I can't even look at you right now," he growled turing away.

"Wait Sirius! Let me explain," Remus said grabbing Sirius' arm.

"Explain what could you possibly explain?"

" I didn't believe you before, but Moody took me to Gringotts to see the Fieldus documents. James and Lily had one drawn up and Peter signed it. But, when I brought it to Dumbledore he refused to call of the manhunt. I didn't tell him about Harry, but I did tell him about you. I'm so sorry, I just I don't know what to say. I should have believed you before."

" Stay away from me and Harry, Lupin!" Sirius growled.

" I'm giving you one chance in honour of the friendship we once had. You come near Harry or I again I will kill you," he said in that low dangerous tone he got when he was truly furious. He turned around and slammed the door. Remus fell back on the bed putting his hands over his face.

Sirius ran to Calist's room where Harry was and pounded on the door.

"What's going on?" she asked opening the door looking concerned.

"Harry and I have to get out of here. Lupin was working for Dumbledore the entire time. The jig is up my disguise is useless. We need to go into hiding. I wish things were different but I can't risk loosing Harry." She put her hands on his face and looked him deep in the eyes.

" If you and Harry are going, we're going with you!" she said softly but firmly.

"But …!"

"No buts if Kathleen knew I let you go off on your own she'd have my head."

"That isn't a life for you and Judith!"

"I think we'll manage."

"Alright you have five minutes to get your things," she nodded.

They met in the lobby to check out and then Sirius apparated to the one place he knew was completely safe. They appeared in the park situated in the middle of Grimuald Place.

"Where are we?" asked Calist pulling Judith closer to her.

"My parent's home, Number 12 Grimuald Place."

Sirius opened the door ushering the other three inside. He heard Calist gasp as she noticed the heads of the family's various house elves mounted on the wall. He mutter a spell in Celtic and all the lamps lit. "You grew up here?" she asked unbelievingly.

"Cheery isn't it," he muttered.

"My family's not known for being on the lighter side of magic. We've been considered dark for many generations now."

" Is that why everyone was so quick to believe you were guilty?"

" Pretty much my family is very powerful we had a whole lot of wealth, a whole lot of prestige, and the power to back it up. My cousin was part of Voldemort's inner circle. She's extremely powerful but insane. When I was a kid my grandfather used to say the Bella and I were the most powerful Blacks in five generations. And my grandfather didn't give compliments lightly."

" I knew you were powerful you handle Natural Magic with ease. I've never seen anyone take to it like you do."

" Yeah well I'm personally responsible for a good chunk of Death Eaters in Azkaban. James and I were quiet the team. Come on lets see if I can find my mom's old house elf. KREACHER!"

"Who is here in my Mistress' home?"

"It's me Kreacher, Sirius."

"He claims to be my Mistress' blood traitor son, broke her heart he did. He doesn't look like Master Sirius though."

" Its a disguise Kreacher, I've come home. I'm going to take the title of Lord Black, I plan on restoring the House to what it once was."

"Is it true Master Sirius will you really perform my Mistress' dying wish?"

"Yes, there are things I need done and can only do them with the Black power behind me. My mother and I rarely saw eye to eye but I know this is what she would have wanted. Will you help me Kreacher, will you help me bring this house back to what it once was?"

"Of course Master Sirius, Kreacher lives to serve the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black!" and he was off in a flash. " That went better then I thought it would, he was a terror when I was a child."

"Wow, this is a lot to take in!"

"I know it is, your welcome to back out Calist. I wouldn't blame you. You have Judith to think about and being here even just as a friend. Well its taking a huge risk."

" I'm sorry I …. I want to be here for you but Judith."

Calist, I understand if we were in opposite positions I wouldn't want Harry wrapped up in all of this either."

"Maybe, I can get a place nearby. We can still be friends but living together under the circumstances …."

"Is too much, I understand."

"I'm so sorry Sirius," she said turning to leave.

"Don't be," was his quiet reply. He heard the door close and that was it they were alone.

_A/n: Oh poor Sirius I just want to give him a hug. I've given him a couple large blows here, which was hard for me because I've kind of fallen in love with Judith. But, I had to do it. Calist isn't completely out of the picture but I think Sirius has to grow a bit before he's ready for a relationship. I also want to keep the story centred on Sirius and Harry. I want Calist around for moral support and I want Harry to have a friend in Judith, but having them all in hiding together was too much. As for Remus, I'm putting him through his paces. Will Sirius and him, make-up maybe. But, I really believe the war did a number on that relationship and they both have some major work to do to get it back. As for Remus' role he plays a major role in my story but not in the way you think. And he's definitely not becoming another parent to Harry. _


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 21

He took a deep breath scooped Harry up and headed for the kitchen. He'd give Kreacher the day to get the place cleaned-up. The kitchen should be relatively safe he thought. "Kreacher!" he called again."Yes, Master?" the elf said seconds after Sirius heard the pop of his apparation.

" I need you to clear the house of any dark artifacts, if you insist on keeping them put them in a safe place where Harry can't get them." The elf nodded but looked inquisitive for a second.

"Kreacher is bad elf, he was supposed to destroy Master Regulus' locket. But, try as he might Kreacher could not do it."

" Kreacher bring me Regulus' locket maybe I can have it destroyed for you."

" Master would do that for Kreacher?" the elf's eyes widened.

" If you tell me why Regulus wanted you to destroy it." The elf looked reluctant but was soon spilling the whole sad story. Sirius could feel the tears welling up in his eyes as the elf spilled the whole sad story of his brother's untimely demise. When the elf finished Sirius took a deep shaky breath. " I know its hard to lose someone you care about Kreacher. But, I want to finish what Regulus started. I need you to help me destroy Voldemort. Will you help me?" The elf let out an anguished sob and nodded.

"Alright get me that locket then."

Within an instant the locket was sitting on the kitchen table. Harry the inquisitive child he was reached for it. "Pretty!" he said. But, Sirius grabbed his hand gently pulling him away from it.

"Don't touch that Harry it might ouch. Okay?"

"Okay," Harry nodded.

Sirius examined the locket without touching it. He gave Kreacher a sideways glance.

"I suppose we have to open it to destroy it. The question is how?"

" Kreacher does not know Master."

"Knowing Voldemort it probably only opens to Parseltounge or the like."

"Maybe if Master can destroy the entire locket it won't matter if it opens?" the elf asked.

"It couldn't hurt to try, but I don't want Harry to be here when I do it."

" Kreacher could put Master Harry in Master Regulus' old bedroom. It is clean and safe."

"Alright, would you mind Kreacher?" The elf scooped up the child and apparated him to the room. When Kreacher returned Sirius proceeded to set the locket on fire. It did nothing.

"Alexandra used an old Celtic chant to destroy the one in Harry. Let's see if I can remember it." He murmured quietly to himself for a bit. " I think I've got the gist of it. Natural Magic is more about the intention anyway. But, I'm not making any promises." The elf nodded.

Sirius began chanting and the familiar swirling lights began to surround him and the locket. But, then he passed-out cold. He awoke to the elf's ugly face standing over him. " Master it worked!" he croaked happily. "It did?" The elf nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright, I'm going to join Harry for the night. Continue with the cleaning in the morning, when your finished go to Gringotts. Get me a list of all the Black Alliance members as well as the paper work surrounding all our accounts. See if you can get a list of our properties as well."

"Yes Master."

"Good!"

Sirius woke up the next morning to the smell of breakfast cooking. He had fallen asleep fully clothed, exhausted from last nights events. He gently coaxed Harry awake. Kreacher must have put him in pyjamas the night before. "Lets go see whats cooking, shall we?"

"Mhmm Pa! Yummy." The two headed down the stairs into the kitchen. Kreacher had made enough food to feed five people. " You out did yourself Kreacher!" Sirius smiled.

" Master needs to well fed if he's to take on the Dark Lord. Kreacher is heading to Gringotts now."

"Your finished cleaning already?" Sirius asked disbelieving.

"Kreacher's been up since sunrise Master! Lots for Kreacher to do!"

" Kreacher for future reference when I say tomorrow I mean around 9:00 a.m."

" Kreacher lives to serve the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black," and with that the elf vanished.

" Well Harry, I think we need to get that elf to lighten up a little."

" Where udith Pa?"

" Judith and her mummy went to live somewhere else."

" They not like us anymore?"

" Of course they like us Harry, they just needed sometime to be together."

"Oh, how we have fun without udith?"

"I'll have you know I'm loads of fun," he said grabbing the little boy and began tickling him. Harry giggled loudly. " Come on kiddo lets find some trouble to get into."

Two hours later Kreacher returned to Number 12 only to find Sirius and Harry had made a fort in the middle of the living room. Both were wearing pots as headwear. "If Master Sirius is done behaving like a fool, Kreacher has the paperwork he requested."

"Sorry Harry, Kreacher says fun times over," Sirius says standing up to follow Kreacher to his father's old office. Harry toddled along behind them. Kreacher pulled out his father's old chair and motioned for Sirius to sit. " Before we began, Kreacher would you mind grabbing some of Harry's toys out of our suitcase? Keep him occupied while we talk shop."

"Yes, Master." The elf was back in a matter of seconds with various toys for Harry.

"Here are your toys young Master."

" Master Sirius the Black Alliance hasn't been called into meeting since the death of your Grandfather, Arcturus."

"Why wasn't their one called when my father died?"

"It was during the onset of the war Master. My Mistress believed the meeting could wait." Sirius nodded.

" How many members?"

"There are currently 12 including three original members from the old London alliance. The Notts, the Yaxleys, and the Rosiers. Four notable families of foreign origin. The Malfoys, the Lestranges, the Macmillian's, the Crouches (although their head would deny it), and the Greengrasses. As well as four minor houses; the Goyles, the Crabbes, the Flints, and the Fawleys."

" Interesting I didn't know the Malfoy's were of foreign origin."

"The Malfoys have only been a notable house since the inception of Hogwarts that makes them foreign in the eyes of the old London families."

" Tell me about the London Alliance."

" The London Alliance was made up of the remaining Original Eight Pureblood British Families. They are the oldest and of witch the Black family is the most notable. It is the first to be mentioned in any of the history books and spans back past the wizard Merlin."

" Merlin the Merlin."

"Yes Master the Merlin. It is not well documented but he had a daughter with the Lady Morgan who then married into the Black family."

" So, let me get this straight the Blacks are related to Merlin and Morgan le Fay?"

" Yes, Master the only trace of either families blood-line lies in your veins."

" Who else was in the original eight."

" The Original Eight families were the House of Black, The House of Potter, The House of Nott, the House of Yaxley, the House of Rosier, and the extinct Houses of Peverell, Gaunt, and Prince."

" What about the Founders families weren't they important?"

" Not until Hogwarts was founded Master. Slytherin and Gryffindor have the blood of one of the Eight but they are through the maternal line. Both were consider minor houses until Hogwarts."

" What about the Dumbledores?"

" Upstart family with Roman lineage."

" Interesting, well Kreacher you and I need to do some plotting."

_A/N: If any of you have looked into Harry Potter Wiki it says Merlin went to Hogwarts. I'm ignoring that as it is my story and the "historical" Merlin is said to have lived around 500 A.D. while Hogwarts wasn't formed until around 500 years after. I wanted to explore the fact that only two Pureblood families are actually referred to as the House of in the books. Those families were the Blacks and the Gaunts. What would be more notable to a wizarding family then being linked to Merlin._


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 22

_A/n: As always JKR I am not._

This was the second time in two weeks Remus Lupin found himself outside Mad-Eye Moody's door. He wasn't sure what kept drawing him to the crusty old auror. But, if anyone could help him it was Moody.

"What is it you want now Lupin?"

"I told Sirius, he's ran off. I think he's trying to regain some of the old Black prestige."

" Sirius was always a sneakily clever bastard. If there is anyway to take on Albus that will be it! With all the power the Black family name can wield. Add on top of that, that Dumbledore has the whole of Wizarding Britain convinced he was Voldemort's right-hand man. Sirius has a whole lot of fear to back him up. Fear is a powerful motivator. If done right he might be able to use Albus' own plan against him"

" He won't talk to me, but like you said I need to make it right."

"What do you have in mind."

" I need some information on the theories behind Natural Magic."

" Why on earth would you want to know about that?"

" Sirius and I were living on a Natural Magic compound in Ireland. I've seen it do some extraordinary things. When one of our own was threatened we summoned a dragon using a hologram spell we found in an old Hogwarts textbook."

"That isn't possible!" growled Moody.

"I would be with you if I hadn't seen it myself. The Chief said it was because the spell was fuelled by love."

" Well … love is a powerful thing," replied Moody not quiet believing Remus.

" It also fuels the magic behind the Blood Rights. The Chief said love is the most powerful element. So, it makes me think that magic based on love is all surrounded by Natural Magic. I also want to know why it isn't widely practiced."

" Fear Lupin! You are not in control of Natural Magic it has it's own rules, it's own laws. What works once might not work the second time in the same way. With Natural Magic nature is the judge. If nature disagrees with your motives it can backfire on you. When nature is on your side you get a high. Wielding that kind of power changes people. Then when they get hyped up on their own power it destroys them."

"What about Sirius he's remarkable at it?"

"Sirius has always been extremely good with magic. The Blacks breed their children like dogs. They search for only the best in order to create the strongest offspring they possibly can. That and they have a very long line of very powerful witches and wizards."

" But…!"

"You've spent too much time at war Lupin! Not all Pureblood families are powerful just look at the Crabbes. Having an old magical family doesn't guarantee power. But powerful parents tend to produce powerful offspring. Young Harry I suspect will grow into a formidable opponent once he's older. Both, Lily and James were also powerful."

" Will Natural Magic corrupt Sirius in the end."

" Its possible, not likely in my opinion."

" Why?"

" As I've said Sirius has come from a long line of powerful wizards one that spans the centuries. He was raised on power he's been surrounded by it since he was a babe in arms. And when he finally gets old enough to wield it, he rejects it. Power does not interest him. He's taken this role out of love. As you've said Love is the most powerful element. When all this is over I suspect Sirius will return to his old self."

" Tell me about the Blood Rights then?"

" What do you want to know?"

" Why does it require the sacrifice of the maternal line?"

" You were right when you say its based on Love. The Blood Rights is not just a protection spell. It guards a child against evil. Love real love is on the opposite end of the spectrum to evil. It is something when in pure form is the epitome of good. To guard against evil you need to fight it with its opposite. Good is what people normally see as evil's opposite but it isn't. Good is subjective."

"Isn't evil subjective?"

" Not in terms of magic Lupin! To magic evil is something that goes against nature. The most powerful opposition of nature. Love is nature's most powerful tool."

" So, what does that have to do with the sacrifice of the maternal line?"

" Maternal magic! When everything is right with nature a bond is created between mother and child upon becoming pregnant. They are connected, the child connects with her magic. That creates a bond like no other. Love springs from that bond. That bond is spread out over generations. It connects the child with the love of their great great great grandmother. When blood magic is invoked it feeds off the power of that bond. It consumes it, it can not consume magic of someone who is alive and using it. "

" My god!"

"The Blood Rights is the only Natural Magic that remained in use after wand-use took over. Do you see now why people are afraid of it Lupin?"

" Its about control isn't it, wand-use offers you control. Natural Magic takes that control away. The unknown scares people; blood bonds, maternal magic, invoking forces of nature. You don't have control at all, you just hope nature agrees your intentions are noble."

"Not noble, natural! Nature is a complex and nasty bitch! She doesn't care about your wants or your needs. You are just her tool, her way of getting things done and when you stop agreeing with her she bites you in the ass."

Meanwhile, back at Grimuald place a very tired Sirius was going over the papers Kreacher had brought him. Turns out the Blacks had even more influence then Sirius originally thought. They held stakes in almost every worthwhile wizarding companies, and five large estates scattered throughout Europe. "Play Pa play!" squealed Harry from the floor. At that moment Kreacher came in carrying a lunch tray for the two of them.

"Master Sirius should take a break and play with young Master."

" I know Kreacher I just have so much work to do."

"Kreacher thinks that Master Sirius will regret the most the time he didn't spend with Master Harry."

"How is it you were a nasty piece of work when I was a child, but now your spouting off parenting advice?"

"Master does not remember what a nasty piece of work he was as a child," Kreacher snapped back. Sirius laughed "You're alright Kreacher!"

"Kreacher admits Master Sirius isn't so bad himself."

"Why don't we go play in the parlour Harry!" said Sirius scooping his godson up.

The three house mates walked into the parlour Sirius carrying a squirming Harry, and Kreacher a heavy lunch tray. Sirius tried playing with Harry's various toys, but Harry didn't seem to interested in any of it. " I thought you wanted to play Mucker?"

"Boring!" whined Harry.

"Do you even know what that means?" Harry shook his head. The daycare had supplied Harry with children who had older siblings. Older siblings meant a wider vocabulary and Harry had picked up quiet a few defiant phrases. It used to be cute but Harry was starting to push buttons. The terrible twos had hit full force.

" Kreacher suggest Master use some magical play. A wizard even one so young should play like a wizard."

" I'll try that but Kreacher I don't want you spouting my mother's predjuidism around Harry. Have I made myself clear?" said Sirius sternly.

"But Master!" Kreacher squeaked.

"No buts Harry will have to interact with muggle-borns and half-bloods on a daily basis when he's older. The world is changing and the House of Black needs to move with it."

" Fine Master," grumbled Kreacher.

" Now let's see Harry is an air element. I don't know how much I can teach you bud. I've played around a bit with water but I haven't tried air since fire chose me." Sirius sat down cross-legged in front of his godson and began chanting. It was a viking chant he learned from Aatos. It asked the wind to be favourable. Once he was half way through the chant Harry started giggling. Sirius opened his eyes to see Harry levitating three feet off the ground in an upstream of soft air. Then without warning Harry raised his hands and shot a jet stream of cold air right at Sirius face.

"Why you little …" he growled jokingly reaching for Harry. The air spout brought Harry to the ground softly and the child took off running. The two spent the rest of the afternoon chasing each other around and shooting bits of magic at each other. Watching Harry become more confident with his powers warmed Sirius' heart. He was only two but he had solid control over simple bouts of magic. He levitated light objects, could send soft jets of air, and create miniature tornados. Kreacher wasn't fond of the last one. They weren't large enough to do any damage but they knocked books off tables and sent papers flying. By three o'clock Harry was out like a light napping on Sirius' chest in the living room. Kreacher came tip toeing lightly into the room with a letter from Calist.

Dear Sirius,

Judith and I have found an apartment in London. She misses Harry terribly and speaks of him often. Maybe we could set-up a play date sometime. The two of you could come in different disguises and we could catch up. It's lonely hear after being surrounded by so many people at the compound. But, Judith loves her daycare and I found a job working at a the Magical Job Connect. Write back soon.

Miss you lots,

Calist,

P.S Judith says hi to you and Harry.

_A/n: Not the most action packed chapter but it has a lot of information. I really wanted to explore Lily's sacrifice and why Harry was protected when I'm sure plenty of other witches died protecting their children. Having it related to a spell or a specific type of magic seemed the most "realistic." And with love being the most powerful element made me think it would fall under my definition of Natural Magic. To the reviewer who suggested me looking into some pagan mythology) all I have to say to you is nice catch! A lot of my ideas of natural magic have been influenced by those mythos and you may find more then one element show up in this story. Thanks for reading. _


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 23

_A/n: If only I was JKR then I could have made sure Sirius, and Fred lived. I also would have knocked some sense into Harry before he named his kid Albus Serverus!_

Narcissa Malfoy gazed dreamily out the window at the large Malfoy estate. Her young son was sleeping soundly in the crib next to her bed. Her husband Lucius had left early to go deal with some things at the Ministry. She loved it this early in the morning her husband gone, child sleeping she felt like she could finally breathe. Now, don't get her wrong she loved her son with all her heart. Draco was the only thing that made her marriage with Lucius worthwhile. He wasn't cruel to her but his thirst for power interfered with her ideals of a family. She had always been a bit of an idealist. Nothing was more important to her then family. She longed to be in a relationship where she didn't have to worry if her husband came home at night. Every time he was late her breath would catch in her throat and her mind would run though every possible scenario. Was he dead? Was he injured? Was he chucked into Azkaban? The list was endless.

It wasn't even that she particularly cared what happened to him. She cared about what happened to her and Draco. Her worst nightmare was that they would end-up on the street. She hadn't been raised to take care of a child by herself living in squaller. She had been raised to be mistress of a great estate. She didn't have a strong emotional attachment to the man she married, but she knew the sanctity of marriage. And, she would fight to the death to keep her place in society especially now that the House of Black had fallen. The House of Malfoy was positioning itself to take its place, but Narcissa doubted it could ever rise to the heights of her family's house. The Malfoy's may be rich but they weren't Ancient. Not in Britain anyway.

She sat in front of the vanity and began brushing her long blonde hair. She sighed softly as a owl started pecking at her window. She got up to let the owl in and let out a gasp when she saw the seal stamped on the envelope. It was marked with the crest of the House of Black. She opened the envelope carefully barely able to control her curiosity. It was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, she knew she should probably wait for her husband but she didn't really care. She needed to know.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy

I am writing to inform you that you have been requested at a meeting regarding your membership to the Black Alliance. Of which your family swore its allegiance long ago. The meeting will take place at the French Property on October 2nd. The Old Laws apply, hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Lord Black

Hours later when Lucius returned home he was fuming.

"Who does this person think he is! Thinking he can boss around a Malfoy like a … like a commoner!" he ranted and raved. Narcissa couldn't keep herself from rolling her eyes.

"He thinks he's Lord Black obviously, who has every right to boss around a Malfoy. You forget your place Lucius!" His eyes narrowed murderously. She had never spoken to him like that before. Lucius was a proud man and didn't take kindly to being rebuked.

" It is you who forget your place Narcissa how dare you speak to me like that! In my own house!"

" The first war muddled your brain Lucius. Being high ranked in the Dark Lord's army does not equate being high ranked in the London families. And even there you were out ranked by a Black! My sister no less! The Malfoy's were still a minor house in France when the London Alliance was formed. This Lord Black outranks you in every possible way Lucius! So, instead of nursing your wounded pride at being reminded of your place, start figuring out how we can use this to our advantage!"

" You're right! My apologies Narcissa you were always deviously clever behind that pretty face," he said laying a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"You would do well to remember that!" she said with a slight smile.

Remus Lupin was pacing, pacing inside of Mad-eye Moody's living room.

"Sit down Lupin!" growled Moody.

" I hate not knowing what's going on. We don't know what Dumbledore is up too, we don't know what Sirius is doing! What can we do if we know nothing!"

"We wait!"

Kreacher knocked on the bathroom door where Sirius was giving Harry a bath. The child splashed happily in the shallow water as his floating sea serpent swam around him.

"Come in Kreacher," Sirius called. The elf looked his master up and down he was soaking wet. The child had got the better of him in a water fight.

" We have received letters from all members of the Black Alliance they have agreed to meet with us." Sirius snorted.

"As if they had a choice when I invoked the Old Laws."

"Master would do well to remember you can catch more kneazles with treasure then garbage."

" I don't even know what I'm going to say."

"What does Master hope to achieve?"

" I want to take support away from Voldemort, if I take back the Black support they will all have to follow suit."

" Yes, Master but if they feel forced it may cause them to rebel. They are purebloods loopholes are their specialty remember."

" I suppose I could reveal Voldemort's true identity! The fact that he is the bastard son of a Muggle and a near squib."

" Kreacher wonders sometimes how Master did not end up in Slytherin?"

" You take that back you fiendish elf!" only half jokingly growled Sirius.

October 2nd arrived sooner then Sirius could have ever expected. He had spent hours last night going over what he had to say. He would have stayed up all night too if Kreacher hadn't badgered him into getting some sleep. He had no idea why he was so nervous. When had he ever been nervous especially in front of a bunch of snakes. " Kreacher has laid out a pair of Master's grandfather's robes in the other room."

"What's wrong with my robes?"

"Nothing Master if one wishes to impress a group of Mudbloods. Master must look the part."

" Alright, alright," Sirius waved the elf off. " I want you to put Harry in the nursery as soon as we get there. I want every ounce of your elf magic on making sure no one but us can get in there."

"Yes Master, you have twenty minutes. Kreacher suggests you get ready while he prepares Master Harry." Sirius nodded. His grandfather's robes fit him perfectly. He had inherited his grandfather's tall stature and broad shoulders. He neglected to put a glamour on. No use in hiding who he was now that Dumbledore knew. Besides he was more likely to get respect as the returning heir then his uncle's bastard. " Kreacher must admit that Master Sirius looks the part. Master Arturus would be proud."

"Let's go Kreacher," he said lifting Harry into his arms. The two apparated to the French Property where various members of the Black Alliance were waiting in the study for the arrival of the new Lord Black. The 12 families chatter anxiously amongst themselves. Sirius waited in parlour for Kreacher to return from the nursery.

"Ready Master?" asked the elf.

" Let's get this over with." Kreacher nodded and headed into the parlour.

" It is Kreacher's great honour to introduce members of the Black Alliance to the new Lord Black! Please welcome Lord Sirius Orion Black head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, chief of the Black Alliance and head of the Original London Alliance." Sirius heard the gasps of shock from the audience. He smirked to himself and then strolled into the study among his stunned audience. He couldn't help himself, " Bet you never thought it would be me!" Lucius was the first to stand up outraged, " What do you think your playing at Black!"

"Lord Black if you will Malfoy, and you would do well to learn to hold your tongue in my presence," growled Sirius dangerously.

" You were disowned!" shouted a female voice he didn't recognize.

" Ah my father claimed to have disowned me but seeing as my grandfather Arcturus was head at the time he had no right to do so. Arcturus on the other hand knew the family needed a strong leader and refused to let Regulus take that position. Said he lacked the right aptitude."

" What have you called us here for then Lord Black?" asked Rosier who looked fit to walk out.

" I've heard rumours and thought I should make it clear that the House of Black is withdrawing all support for Voldemort's regime."

" How dare you!" shouted a voice.

"The House of Black does not bow to anyone especially not a half-blood with a superiority complex. Had my parents known Voldemort's true lineage they would have put him in his place the minute he started getting ideas!"

" That's a lie!" growled Avery.

" Is it now? Don't tell me have none of you done your research! There is no Voldemort in the pureblood records because that person does not exist. The man you've all pledged allegiance to is really named Tom Marvolo Riddle. Now does Riddle sound like any pureblood family you've ever heard of?" The crowd gazed around anxiously at each other racking their brains for some connection but deep down they knew. It was a decidedly muggle name.

" The man you all call Lord is the product of a muggle man and a near squib. His mother was a Guant. "

He paused to let it sink in.

"Now are you going to tell me you will allow yourselves to be lead by a half-blood with delusions of grandeur? You of ancient pureblood lines. He lied to you, follow me and I will allow you your revenge!"

" But he's so powerful," stuttered Crabbe.

" Riddle is only as powerful as those who stand behind him. He only managed to get as far as he did because of all of you. You abandon him he has nothing. No wizard is powerful enough to take on all of the old families!"

Narcissa stole a glance at her husband. The man had gone white as a sheet. Sickened by the fact that he had bowed to a half-blood. She looked back at her cousin. She smiled to herself if only his parents could see him now. She squeezed Lucius hand and stood up.

" My cousin is right! Voldemort can't win if he has no army. Together we can beat him, Lucius and I pledge our support to Lord Black in honour of the alliance." Lucius looked at her asking why with his eyes. " Thank you cousin," she smiled back at him and sat down next to her husband. He gave her a look the clearly said what do you think your doing." We defy him we lose everything and for what? The prestige of an arrogant half-blood? Come on Lucius we both know you don't want that," she whispered.

" I guess your right," he grumbled. With the Malfoy's firmly stationed at his side the Crabbes and Goyles soon followed. Soon all the families had pledged allegiance excluding Bartimus Crouch.

"What say you Crouch? I've provided you with the means to take Voldemort down and your running scared."

" I'm not fond of working with the enemy Lord Black!"

" Better the devil you know Crouch."

" Damn it all fine I pledge!"


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 24

_A/n: I am not JKR, all credit should go to her for her wonderful creation. _

Two days after the meeting of the Black Alliance, Sirius had arranged a meeting with Lucius Malfoy and Barty Crouch. He wasn't fond of either man, but he knew their influence at the Ministry would prove useful. Lucius knew very well of Sirius' innocence. He may not have been as high-up as say Bellatrix, but he was in Voldemort's inner circle. He would have known if Sirius was Voldemort's right hand man. Old Barty on the other hand would take some convincing. The Old Laws kept him from ratting Sirius out for now but he couldn't be sure for how long. Sirius thought today would be a good day to bring Harry to the forefront. Harry played on the rug with toys when both men strolled in.

"By Merlin, Black is that Harry Potter?!" sputtered Crouch.

"Yes, there seems to be a lot of unfounded rumours going around about me in the press. I'm insisting the two of you to help me correct them."

"What do you have in mind Black?" asked Lucius.

"Lord Black if you please. It seems the public believes I am a follower of Lord Voldemort." Crouch looked confused. "You were, weren't you?"

"Nope, Dumbledore started the rumour when he believed I was the Potter's Secret Keeper. He has since been enlightened and refuses to call of the manhunt."

" Who was the Potter's Secret Keeper then? Come on Black you've got me magically bound why lie."

" I assure you it is the truth Crouch. I had Kreacher run down to Gringotts and get a copy of this," he said waving the document around. "I think you'll find my name is not listed as Secret Keeper."

" Pettigrew! Who's bright idea was it to use that useless lump!" growled Crouch.

" Turns out Pettigrew was far more useful then any of you realized," replied Malfoy smoothly.

" What do you mean by that Malfoy?" asked Crouch.

" Pettigrew was a deatheater!"

" How would you know that?" Crouch growled dangerously.

" Oh don't act so shocked Crouch you know as well as I that Lucius was a death eater," said Sirius shaking his head. This conversation was giving him a headache. He walked over to the carpet and scooped up Harry.

" How you managed to weasel your way out of Azkaban I'll never know. But, you can bet I will personally see to it that you end up there."

" Don't make promises you can't keep Crouch. You can't prove a thing, and I forbid it."

" You can not be serious Black this man killed innocent people."

" I am well aware of what he's done Crouch, but the fact remains I have more use for Malfoy here then I do in Azkaban. The Alliance's stance on this in not negotiable. You break your oath there will be consequences."

" You punish me for upholding the law, and allow a death eater to walk freely."

" Lucius will be punished, Crouch but agreeing to work with us has its perks. One such is no Azkaban."

" Thank you for your kindness Lord Black," smiled Lucius.

" Don't thank me just yet. I have taken the liberty of cleaning out your vault at Gringotts. The House of Black will provide you with a monthly expenses allowance. You will be allowed to keep your Mansion, because I will not punish Narcissa and your child for crimes they did not commit. The rest of your fortune will be given to the Society of Muggle-borns. As far as the Society or the public knows you've donated the money of your own free will. I need your standing in the Ministry Lucius, which brings me to my next point. I want the two of you to go to the DMLE with this document and argue my case. Keep it as confidential as you can, when I'm cleared I want Dumbledore to be blindsided. You have one week to figure out how you are going to do it."

" Yes, Lord Black," they muttered together.

" Can I ask you a question Lord Black?" asked Malfoy.

" Sure," replied Sirius easily.

" Narcissa is worried about Draco's social life she wishes for him to meet more people. Would it be possible to set-up a play date between him and Harry?" Sirius could tell by his tone that Lucius wasn't thrilled by the idea. But, he was nothing if not conniving and the two children being friends would supply him with a safety net.

" That is an excellent idea, tell Narcissa I will owl her with details." Lucius nodded then strolled out the door.

" You look like I've sentenced you to death Crouch. If anything I've given you a gift you have the opportunity to work your way up in the Ministry again."

" I have built my life around upholding the law, and now you ask me to help you defy it. I have no choice in the matter and you ask why I'm unhappy?"

" To what purpose have you upheld the law Crouch. You sent your own son fresh out of school to Azkaban!"

" He was a death eater!"

" You don't know that, the kid could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time and from what I know you didn't even give him a chance!"

" What was I supposed to do my own flesh and blood working for that monster! I needed to distance myself from him. There were witnesses all evidence pointed to him. I had no choice!"

" There is always a choice Crouch. Even if he is a death eater it changes nothing he is still your son! And that should have come first, before the law before everything!"

" So, you suggest I let him go because he's family! You abandoned your family for the same thing, you hypocrite."

" Your right I did but the difference here is I was a child! A child who felt abandoned first! Do you honestly think I don't live with the guilt everyday of what my brother became! I go over in my head everyday what I could have done differently. It wasn't till I started raising Harry that I realized what I had done. I do not think you should have let any guilty party walk away. But, you should have stood by him. Not for what he's done but because he is your son and you love him. There are ways of loving people despite their decisions. We all have light and dark inside of us Crouch, what matters is the part you choose to act on. Your son chose the dark, and he must suffer for it, but that doesn't diminish the light inside of him. The part that you loved."

" What do you want me to do?"

" Go visit your son Crouch. Make it right, you don't have to absolve him just let him know through it all you still love him."

Two days later Sirius and Kreacher were setting up the house for Harry's play date with Judith and Draco. The clock struck twelve and Calist and Judith stumbled through the fireplace.

" Thank you for coming I don't know if I could handle my cousin without backup. She's a decent person underneath it all but she's the queen of the stuck-up princesses."

" No problem, Judith has missed Harry."

" Harry too," he muttered quietly.

" The house looks great!"

" Kreacher will be glad to hear it," he smiled uneasily.

" Can we stop with the formalities Sirius? I've missed you!" she said pulling him into a hug.

" I've missed you too," he murmured.

" I wanted to stay I really did, but Judith …"

" Is and should be your number 1 priority."

" Thank you,"

" There is nothing to thank me about Calist. It is what it is. I'm just thankful we can still be friends. But, I would never do anything to put you and Judith at risk. And in order to protect Harry I live with constant risk." They were quickly interrupted by the sound of Narcissa and Draco coming through the fire. Narcissa stepped through placing Draco on the floor and began dusting the soot off of the two of them.

" You'd think with all our magic we could come up with a cleaner way to travel," she grumbled.

" You could always apparate cousin," laughed Sirius.

" With a baby?! Nope Draco can't stand the sensation."

" Broomstick?"

" So I should get my robes all rumpled. No thank you at least with floo you just have to brush off the dust. Flying you are left with wrinkly robes for hours."

" You never change do you?" Sirius asked shaking his head.

" Nope never," she said breaking into a smile. " Welcome back cousin."

" Narcissa I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine. This is Calist, Calist this is my cousin Narcissa."

" Nice to meet you," smiled Calist " I can't get over how similar the two of you look."

" Black genes are strong genes. I'm the only child in a hundred years to not look full Black. And even then its just the hair," smiled Narcissa.

" We all look alike you can tell a Black from miles away," laughed Sirius.

" Its in the facial shape I think," laughed Narcissa. " Where is Harry?"

" Harry and Calist's little girl Judith are in the playroom with Kreacher."

" Come on Draco," Narcissa said scooping up her son.

" Draco this is Harry and Judith," Sirius said kindly.

" Hi Hawwy, Hi udith, me Draco."

" Aco!" giggled Judith offering the blonde boy one of the blocks they were playing with.

" Well, the kids seem off to a good start."

" Who would have thought you would be so good with children Sirius," smiled Narcissa as Sirius helped the kids build a castle out of the blocks.

" Well, I always was a kid a heart," smirked Sirius.

"So, which part of Ireland are you from Calist?" asked Narcissa conversationally.

" Northern on a Natural Magic compound."

" You mean those actually exist, I always assumed they were legends."

" No, there are actually quiet a few of them."

" Hmm, useful skill I suspect. Our Uncle Alfred dabbled in it a bit. Arcturus was a little put out by it but softened when he saw some of Alfred's tricks."

" Sirius is quiet remarkable at it. Never seen someone take to it that easy specially someone raised traditionally."

" Sirius always was far to talented for his own good. He and James Potter received all O's in their OWLS without cracking a book. My elder sisters were like that too, but Reg and me had to study are buts off to get those kind of marks."

" I was always told Regulus was a better student."

" Thats because Reg didn't have letter after letter sent home about misbehaving."

" I guess so they always did try to play us off of each other."

" It was hard for him Sirius, living in your shadow. Even when you were disowned he still had to deal with the fact that he could never bring the family what you did."

" I suppose, he turned out all right in the end though."

" What?"

" If I tell you, you must promise me that you won't tell a soul. Not even Lucius if this gets out it could ruin everything."

" I swear! I am Draco's mother first, a Black second, a Malfoy third and everything else last."

" Regulus found out the Voldemort had made horcruxes and died trying to destroy one. I finished it off."

"You mean he can't be killed!?"

" He can we just have to make sure we destroy them all."

" But, how would you even know how many he's made?" asked Calist.

" Six he's made six," sighed Narcissa.

" How do you know that?"

" Bellatrix just before she was sentenced. She went on and on about hiding the six."

" So, it was seven then." sighed Sirius.

" What do you mean?"

" He accidentally made Harry a horcrux when he tried to kill him. His soul was so unstable."

" The poor child!" gasped Narcissa.

" Its okay, a friend in France removed it."

" How?"

" Natural Magic!"

" That isn't possible," Calist said shaking her head.

" Well it wasn't typical Natural Magic I guess. She said something about a spell to destroy evil."

" There is talk of the Druids having such a spell, but it was rarely used. It has dangerous consequences. But, I thought it was a legend."

" What kind of consequences Calist?"

" It could only be used on the pure of heart or one totally evil. If not it left the person it was being performed on comatose. They would lose part of themselves. No one is truly all good."

" Except for a baby. Babies are like animals Sirius they are all instinct. They aren't capable of being evil," said Narcissa reassuringly.

" Is that true?" he asked Calist.

" It would seem so as Harry seems fine. Sirius I would take what I say with a grain of salt. Not much is known about the Druids. I only know based on legends and stories get distorted over time. This healer who performed the spell must have studied its uses."

" So, thats two down five more to go. How are we going to find things when we don't even know where they are!" groaned Sirius.

" Think Sirius, I know their is a bit of Slytherin deep down. Think if you were to make a horcrux what would you make it out of?"

" If it were me I would use important objects. Precious things that wouldn't be inadvertently desroyed,"

" The horcrux Regulus stole was a locket that belonged to Salazar Slytherin. Is it possible he's using historical artifacts?"

" For some of them sure, but where would he put them?" asked Calist.

" Isn't it obvious? With his most trusted death eaters. I know he gave Bellatrix something to put in her vault," stated Narcissa solemnly. At one time she would have felt guilty for betraying her sister, but Bellatrix had proven that she cared more for her Master then her family. She risked the reputation of the Black's in order to prove herself to him. Even after he was gone, she risked everything for him.

" What about Lucius? Did he ever receive any mysterious packages from Voldemort?"

" The only thing I can think of is that ratty old book in the study. He keeps it on his desk, Draco tried to touch it once and he had a fit. You don't think he would bring something like that around his son?!" Narcissa asked shocked at her husband's audacity.

" There is only one way to find out. Think you could sneak it away without him noticing?"

" I can try but I would need a replacement."

" Take Kreacher with you. Let him take a look at it and see if he can find a replica."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 25

_A/n: I am not JKR nor have I ever claimed to be! Sorry for the wait guys I had exams (for my online coursed, a wedding to attend, and then I got really bad writer's block. Hope you are all still with me._

Lucius was drumming his finger on the arm rest of the chair in the waiting room of the DMLE. Crouch was sitting in the chair next to him looking anxious. Lucius rolled his eyes at the other man. "Nervous Crouch?" he asked a slight grin playing on his lips.

"Aren't you?" snapped Crouch.

" Why on earth would I be?"

" I don't know maybe that we are flat out admitting we know the whereabouts of a wanted man!"

" We will be doing no such thing. We are under the compulsion of one Lord Black. The leader of the Black Alliance. The only correspondence we have had has been through owl."

" They aren't going to buy that!"

" We have a document that proves Black's innocence. Once Bones sees it we are in the clear. She's a stickler for justice."

" She is also extremely loyal to Dumbledore!"

" So was Black at one point in time. Loyalty can be lost Crouch," Lucius said shaking his head.

Crouch looked like he was about to protest but a tall witch with mousey brown hair walked towards the two of them.

" Mrs. Bones will see you now." Lucius nodded to Crouch and stood up to follow the witch. He straightened his robes on the way. First rule of persuasion, never keep the person waiting. The mousey witch ushered the two of them into a small office.

"Mrs. Bones will be right with you," she smiled as she shut the door.

" Quit fidgeting Crouch!" he snapped.

Crouch through him a dirty look just as the Head of the DMLE walked in. Second rule of persuasion; compliments and flattery go along way.

"Ah Mrs. Bones, always a pleasure," he said standing up to greet her.

" Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Crouch what a pleasant surprise to see the two of you here …. together," she said eyes narrowed. She there was a reason she was head of the DMLE, Amelia Bones was far from stupid. It would have looked extremely suspicious a accused Death Eater sitting beside the man responsible for putting Death Eaters in prison. Lucius may have managed to avoid Azkaban but few actually believed he had been under the imperious curse.

" We have some information you may find enlightening," Lucius replied smoothly.

" And what would this information be about?" she asked icily. Her tone may have disagreed but her eyes showed her interest was piqued.

" It is regarding the Black case."

" You've seen him?"

" No but we do happen to be in possession of a certain document detailing the Potter's Secret Keeper." The witch visibly rolled her eyes.

" We are well aware Black was the Potter's Secret Keeper Mr. Malfoy. Although, not well known that is the main charge against him."

" Then it appears you have spent months chasing the wrong man Mrs. Bones."

" What are you on about Malfoy."

" Only that Black was never the Potter's Secret Keeper. Someone else was chosen someone far less obvious," he said sliding the document towards her.

" Who was then?" she snorted.

" Peter Pettigrew."

" No!"

" See for yourself Mrs. Bones. The document is goblin verified, the information is 100% accurate."

" I know what goblin verified means Malfoy. But, this changes nothing the man was still the right hand of Voldemort."

" Then you must be holding information that we are not privy to Madame. Because as far as either one of us has been able to discover no such evidence exists."

" He kidnapped Harry Potter for one thing ."

" Black is the child's legal guardian by magical and muggle law. He was well within his rights to take the child."

" Dumbledore was taking the child to live with relatives!"

" Muggle relatives who abhor the very thought of magic. Now tell me Amelia is that the life you would wish upon the saviour of our country?"

" I trust Dumbledore," she stuttered not sure what to make of this thing.

" Dumbledore is not infallible he is capable of making mistakes."

" Of course he is but,"

" We are not asking you to call off the search right away. Just investigate the matter further is nothing comes up call off the manhunt."

" And if he is guilty."

" I will donate all my funds to the search."

" I don't even understand why your involved."

" Just acting as members of the Black Alliance. We were called into do a favour for the new Lord Black."

" The only person with rights to that title."

" The man your hunting we know. We have never had direct correspondence for all we know a distant relative has claimed the title."

" Doubtful Sirius has the largest claims."

" That doesn't matter Amelia, what matters is you maybe chasing an innocent man. Lord Black is giving you two weeks if you still have no evidence and continue the search he will be forced to bring down the hand of the Old London Alliance," sighed Crouch.

" The London Alliance hasn't been called into session since before Grindelward! The Wizemgott replaced it, it no longer has any pull!"

" I suggest you don't test them. You will undoubtedly be proven wrong. Good day Mrs. Bones."

Amelia put her head in her hands and let out an audible groan. This was not what she signed on for. She buzzed her secretary in.

" Yes, Mrs. Bones," asked the bubbly blonde witch.

" Send a letter to Alastor Moody that I need to speak with him immediately. Regarding the Black case"

" Yes, ma'am."

Meanwhile Moody was having lunch with a very stressed looking Remus Lupin. The werewolf hadn't gotten much sleep the past couple weeks. He kept waiting for news of Sirius' next move to appear but none came. Moody was getting more and more impatient with him. A regal looking owl dropped at letter from the DMLE in the centre of the table. Moody tore it open and quickly scanned it.

" Black's made his move. Rash bugger but he gets things done. I have to head over to the DMLE. I will let you know what I find out," and with that the ex-auror apparated out of the tiny cottage.

Back at Grimuald Place Sirius was sharing tea with Narcissa. He still wasn't used to this truce that had appeared between the two of them. They hadn't really gotten along in childhood. Narcissa had been prim and proper while Sirius was wild and rebellious. Sirius blatant disregard of everything Narcissa had been raised to believe had been a point of tension between the two. But, now that the two were older and parenthood had mellowed the two of them out.

" So, dear cousin pray tell me when you plan on making Calist a honest woman.?" Sirius nearly spat out his tea.

" Narcissa Calist and I haven't even been on a date! We're just friends."

" Don't give me that nonsense I've seen that way you two look at each other. There is far more then friendship going on."

" Look Cissa, I would be lying if I said I didn't want something to come of it. But, my life is far to complicated right now, and I can't ask her to put Judith at risk. Judith is her first priority just as Harry is mine and to be able to save Harry I live in constant risk." She placed a delicate hand over top of his and looked deep in his eyes.

" I understand Sirius, you think you are doing the noble thing. But, you can't put your life on hold forever."

" Rwaaar raar Harry's a suar," squealed the raven haired child.

" Draco's gonna bit off your head," a delighted Draco squealed back.

" We should be getting back, Lucius will be home soon. Come Draco time to go home and see Daddy."

" Draco wanna stay!" whined the child.

" Now Draco…."

" Why don't the kids have a sleepover Cissa? It would be good for the two of them."

" I don't know," she said looking thoughtful.

" Pwease Mummy?" Draco asked giving her a slightly familiar puppy dog look.

" I can't believe you taught him that Lucius is going to have a fit," she said laughing.

" Oh alright!" she said giving in to the now three puppy dog looks she was receiving.

" You knew of this!" screeched a rather agitated Amelia Bones.

" Some information fell into my hands a while ago. When I presented the same document to Dumbledore and he refused to act. Black is innocent Amelia you will find no evidence anywhere of death eater activity. Think Amelia, Black was one of the best trainees this institution has ever seen. He put half of the death eaters into Azkaban and fought longer and hard to fight the legacy his family left behind. We were all too easily fooled blind by the prejudices that so often accompany war-time."

" So, what do we do?"

" Take the two weeks. Use the first week to do a thorough investigation, the second to plan the best reaction, and then right the wrong Amelia."

" What do we do about Dumbledore then? He can't go around and manipulating people as he has been. I'm sure his heart is in the right place, but he's gotten so out of hand."

" Just worry about what you've been asked to do and leave Albus to the new Lord Black."

" The press is going to have a field day with this," she sighed shaking her head.

" When did you become such a politician?"


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 26

_A/n: As always I am not JKR. I just wanted to thank everyone again for the overwhelming support this story has received. I am glad you all seem to be enjoying the story as much as I have writing it. Please continue to review, I love hearing from all of you._

Amelia Bones had been working tirelessly all week trying her hardest to find even a shred of evidence that Sirius Black was a death eater. She had come up decidedly short. She had interviewed countless people, and they all said the same things, he was the last person you would suspect as a death eater. She ran her hand over her face putting slight pressure on her forehead trying to get her pounding headache to let up. She wanted to believe Black was guilty. She hated to think that no one had questioned anything. What if he had been caught? They would have sent a innocent man to Azkaban. They very thought made the bile rise up into her throat.

" Mrs. Bones. Alastor Moody has arrived." She let out an audible sigh.

" Send him in please." She sighed placing her head down on her desk rather hard. It didn't help her headache in the least. She didn't lift her head-up when she heard the door open and heard Moody walking towards her.

" Whatever happened to constant vigillance?" She raised her head to see him giving her a wry smile. She slammed her head against the desk a second time and groaned.

" I would ask how the investigation was going, but I already know you got nothing."

" What am I supposed to do? How on earth do I explain to the public that we have been chasing down the wrong man for a year?"

" Be honest, stress that wartime policies carried over when they shouldn't and in efforts to ensure justice was served coroners were cut. Explain that you are working to ensure something like this never happens again."

" I, God I hate this why did something like this have to happen when I took over? You would have handled this much better then I'm going too."

" A leader is not remembered for how well they handled the good times."

" But, for how they handle the bad times. I know Alastor."

* * *

" Harry O' where could Harry be! I can't believe I lost Harry," Sirius cried out exaggeratedly.

Harry who was currently hiding under a blanket in the centre of the parlour giggled excitedly at his own cleverness. Sirius gave the blanket hidden child a small smile and proceeded to pretend to look around the room.

" Well I guess I will just take a nap then," he sighed collapsing on the couch and closing his eyes.

" Here Pa, here," squealed Harry jumping on his stomach.

" Oh Harry there you are I was so worried," he said proceeding to tickle the boy mercilessly.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK GET IN HERE THIS MINUTE!" yelled the voice of his cousin in the other room.

"Sorry Harry sounds like the fun police arrived."

" What the matter Cissy?"

" Don't you dare call me that when my child spends one night when you and he's sending off jet streams of water at me and his father and laughing!"

" I …."

" Is he having small bouts of accidental magic here and there like a normal child? No, instead he is performing deliberate bouts of Natural Magic as pranks! I thought Lucius was going to have a heart attack!"

" I swear Cissy I haven't been teaching Draco Natural Magic behind your back. Harry must have taught him. Shooting jets of air is Harry's specialty. Sounds like your little Draco is a water element," he said shooting her a slightly apologetic smile. Her hard stare softened.

" Well admittedly I am a little proud. But, Lucius will not stand for our child performing an outdated branch of magic in public. Now that he's learned it how do we control it?"

" I guess I could start teaching the two of them to channel their powers into more conventional displays of magic."

" Good and Lucius says he checked in with Madame Bones, the search should be called off by the end of the week. He thinks she's just trying to find a way to announce it to the public."

" Finally, it will be nice to be able to go out."

" I hate to rain on your quidditch match, but people aren't going to just accept this easily. They will probably think you just bought your way out of it. You are a Black after all."

" I don't need public approval just the freedom to get things done. The more intimidated people are of me the better."

" Watch it Sirius you are starting to sound like your father."

" Well, just because my father was an evil bastard doesn't mean he didn't get somethings right. Like it or not I am a Black, and like it or not being a Black is the only way I can protect Harry."

" I have to go I will drop Draco off at 8:30 tomorrow then?

" Yeah see you then."

* * *

Remus Lupin awoke to the sound of Mad Eye Moody pounding on his doorway. He stumbled out of bed opening the door for the ex-auror.

" It is five thirty in the morning Alastor what do you want?"

" I thought I would come annoy you for a change, besides wanted you to be one of the first people to see this mornings paper," he growled throwing the paper at Remus' face. He shot the old auror a glare and peered down at the front of the headline.

"Manhunt Called Off Black Cleared of Any Wrongdoings!"

" He's been cleared!?"

" So, it would seem. Black is going to be a force to be reckoned with, if you ask me."

" He always was!," smiled the werewolf.

* * *

" Okay boys that was good, but try to calm the wind when levitating the feather."

" Irius!" squealed Judith followed by a winded looking Calist.

" I came as soon as I heard the news!"

" What news!?"

" It was announced in this mornings paper! The manhunts been called off you've been cleared of all charges!"

" Well this is cause for celebration!" he said scooping up Judith and twirling her around.

" I'll send a letter to Narcissa we can have a big supper. Oh Sirius this is such great news!"

" How many can you make for?"

" As many as you need why."

" I thought I'd invite my favourite cousin and her family. It is time her and Cissa buried the wand so to speak."


End file.
